Sweeter Than Sugar
by MaintainPressure
Summary: Sadie Harper is a transfer student from America and the daughter of two aspiring chefs. Destined to take over the family business, Sadie struggles to find time to juggle her responsibilities at home and at school, let alone acknowledge the growing attraction she feels toward Yosen High's basketball ace. Facing her own insecurities, how will she ever find the courage to confess?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**

Hi! Thanks for choosing to read my fanfic.

Just something to remember before you start reading; Momoi in this fanfic is not from the original canon. She is an OC character, so don't get confused.

That's all. Happy reading!

 _Note: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke, nor any of the characters._

* * *

 **Chapter One:**

"This is amazing, Sae-chan!" Momoi exclaimed.

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah!" The girl moaned around a mouthful of food, nodding appreciatively. "Where did you get this?"

Sadie smiled a little and shrugged. "I was experimenting last night – you know, for the restaurant and stuff."

Momoi's eyes widened. "Y-you… Sae-chan, you _made_ this?" She let out a little squeal of excitement, causing Sadie to jump a little. "Wow! You have so much talent! There's no way you won't have your own restaurant one day – especially with food this yummy. Just you wait," she said, winking at her friend, "Before long you'll be the top chef in Japan!"

"M-Momoi-chan, don't be silly," Sadie murmured, blushing at all the looks that were suddenly directed her way. "It's just something I made up; it's not even a proper recipe."

"And your point is? Sae-chan, this is the most delicious thing I've tasted in my life, believe me! You should have more confidence in yourself," her friend grumbled, taking another bite from the dumpling.

Sadie chose not to respond, instead picking up her own chopsticks to start on her low-carb lunch. From the corners of her downturned eyes, she noticed that people had begun to creep closer, and a few let out a small gasp when they caught sight of the extravagant contents of her lunchbox.

"Sadie-san, what's all that stuff?" someone asked her from behind.

She glanced up to see one of her fellow classmates, a boy named Shou, peering over her at the food. Sadie cleared her throat and placed the sticks on the table, eyeing the curious onlookers around her nervously. "It's just a little something I made last night… while I had some time on my hands. Low-calorie, of course."

"Low calorie, huh?" one of the girls to her right asked, tapping her finger against her arm with a raised brow. Sadie frantically attempted to remember her name, biting her lip when it didn't immediately come to her. _Oh, what was it again…? Hikari! That's it!_

Sadie smiled. "That's right. I made sure all the ingredients were low in fat." She gestured to her lunchbox. "Feel free to try some, Hikari-san."

The girl eyed the food in front of her sceptically, but reached out a hand and picked up one of the sour pork pieces. Popping it in her mouth, she chewed slowly, as though expecting to taste something awful – but suddenly her expression changed into something almost awed.

"Hmm – that's great!" The girl gestured emphatically to the food. "Seriously, guys, try some!"

"You don't mind, Sadie-san?" one of the other girls asked softly.

Sadie blinked in surprise before shaking her head. "N-Not at all. Help yourself."

They did.

As more and more hands closed the gap between their bodies and the lunchbox, Sadie watched with dwindling excitement as her fellow classmates wolfed down the food she'd spent over an hour preparing the night before. When there was just one dumpling left, she glanced around nervously and then slowly extended her hand.

A boy's hand flew in and swooped up before she even came close. "Hmm, good!" he exclaimed as he chewed. Sadie had to beat down a small flare of irritation as she watched him walk off, chewing merrily.

"Oh, Sae-chan…" Momoi shook her head sadly and dropper her chin into her hands. "You should stop being so nice! Those nasty vultures left you with no lunch!"

"I didn't mean it as an invitation for everyone to start digging in…" Sadie shrugged a little helplessly.

"That's just what people are like; give 'em an inch, they take a mile. You offered one person, so of course, all of them will want some!" And just like that, Momoi's aura changed completely, going from her normally cheerful self to a dark, brooding character that, on occasion, had been known to frighten even the teachers.

"They're just rats – no, _lower_ than rats – _cockroaches_ scampering around our feet like _vermin_ –"

"Oookay Momoi-chan, let's… Let's just leave it there, shall we?" Sadie hurriedly began patting her head comfortingly. Momoi gave a sniff and allowed Sadie to stroke her hair while she scowled at the wall with murderous brown eyes.

Truthfully, she found her friend's odd fits of brooding anger quite amusing, if not a little concerning at times. Though she'd never personally been on the receiving end of her friend's dreadful anger, she'd seen the consequences of it; in fact, her friend's reputation had begun to suffer as more and more people started to notice her strange personality switch.

Toward the end of last term, other students had even begun to call her Mad Momoi.

But, Sadie was determined to end their last term in Yosen High with a positive light. Being their sixth week back, she had expected the other students to once again start picking up on Momoi's 'bad side', but after careful supervision Sadie was pleased to announce – to no one in particular – that she'd successfully prevented the outbreak of more nasty rumours regarding her friend.

Now, all she had to do was keep it that way –

"Hey, Momoi-chan! You gonna join the volleyball club again next year?" a fellow female classmate called from across the room.

Momoi grumbled once, and when she raised her head, her features were set in an annoyed scowl that immediately set Sadie's alarm bells ringing. "Anko-san, I'll only do it if I get the chance to _annihilate_ you when we play –"

Her speech was abruptly cut off when Sadie snatched her around the mouth and pulled her into a struggling embrace. Anko looked confused, and Sadie saw with growing apprehension that the girls surrounding her were looking at each other strangely.

 _Oh, no, I'd better say something quick!_

"O-Oh, Momoi-chan, you're so _cute_ , I just _have_ to hug you…!" She emphasised her point by squeezing her friend even harder around the neck, causing her to let out a little squeak – and grinning over at the girls. " _Gomen_ , she said that she looks forward to playing with you this year! She's been training all holidays, so she won't let you down." Well, it wasn't a _complete_ lie. She had been doing target practice – on small children who dared bother her.

The girls appraised Sadie with a look that didn't bode well, but was made worse when they turned away with a slightly raised lip; a grimace. Instantly her spirits plummeted. It seemed that over the holidays, Momoi's circumstances had improved a little – her own, however, remained the same…

Her arms slackened, and she released her friend with a small, guilty smile. Rather than being angry, Momoi rasped a throaty ' _thank you_ ' and stood up to go to the bathroom. It was often this way; whenever Sadie felt even a spark of anger, Momoi would speak up for her instead, and vented the anger that Sadie herself could never socially afford to do. In return, Sadie would rein Momoi in whenever she looked as though she was in danger of destroying her reputation, covering for her so the other students wouldn't look at them twice – or more than twice.

Yes, their friendship was strange, but they looked out for each other.

A small growl interrupted her musings, and Sadie glanced down at her stomach when it let out another groan of impatience. Sighing, she reached down, pulling her afternoon-tea out of her bag; it was nothing more than a small salad and juice, but it would have to get her by.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the door; when she glanced up, Sadie let out a small sigh of exasperation at the sight. Murisakibara Atsushi, member of the legendary Generation of Miracles and basketball star of Yosen High, was currently standing in the open doorway of the classroom with a pained expression on his normally vacant features. Evidently he'd just hit the panelling above the door with his forehead – again.

"You have to lower you're head a bit, Atsushi," a disembodied voice patiently instructed.

Murasakibara grunted in reply and bent his knees, finally able to step into the classroom. The girls from earlier giggled at the display – and probably because Himuro sidled in after him – but the purple-haired giant paid them no notice. Instead his eyes immediately sought out and landed on Sadie.

She couldn't help but shift a little in her seat when he beared down on her, as he was a _very_ large boy, but relaxed a little when she realised his eyes were all over what was in front of her. Except he didn't seem pleased with what he saw.

"Sae-chin, what's _that_?" he sneered, eying her salad like it had personally insulted him.

Himuro stuck his head around his friend's lanky arm. "It's a salad, Atsushi."

He frowned, confused. "I thought they only existed in ads and fancy restaurants." When Sadie directed an ' _are you kidding me?_ ' glance to Himuro, he only shrugged; evidently he was experienced in these episodes of cluelessness.

"Mura-kun, salad exists in the real world, I assure you," she explained slowly.

"It looks gross."

She sighed. "It's not gross; it's _healthy_. People eat it every day." His mouth curled in disgust as he snagged a seat and fell into it – the boy to whom the seat actually belonged glaring at the back of his purple head – but he was still observing the food with some interest. Encouraged, Sadie said, "You should try some! It'll be very good for you."

Off to the side, Himuro sceptically raised his brows, but Sadie ignored him, focusing instead on trying to coax Murasakibara into trying a leaf. He eyed the offered food like it would bite him if he tried it and asked, "Does it taste good?"

"No –"

"Yes! In fact, many people like it very much!" she insisted, overriding Himuro and sending him a reproving glare.

He pursed his lips for a moment, and Sadie held her breath hopefully. This could be a defining moment in their relationship. She would become the first person to cause the purple-haired giant – who was notorious for consuming on average five packets of potato chips daily – to finally eat something healthy. Not even Himuro had been able to accomplish such a feat!

She ceased thinking when an overly large hand reached out and hesitantly picked up a piece of lettuce, and she watched with baited breath as he raised it to his lips. He popped it inside.

Grinning triumphantly, she shifted her gaze and raised a brow at Himuro. "See? Piece of cake –"

Abruptly he began to choke, coughing and spitting with an expression that suggested he's just swallowed something foul.

"That's what you _should've_ fed him," Himuro replied sardonically, and stood so he could slap his friend on the back repeatedly. Amidst the chaos, Momoi thankfully chose that moment to walk into the classroom.

When she noticed the mayhem, she glanced down at Sadie whilst scratching her chin thoughtfully. "You know Sae-chan, if you wanted to poison the guy I think you just found the most effective way."

"B-but it's not poison!" she insisted helplessly. "It's organic! Clean! Downright nutritious, dammit!"

Momoi shrugged and gestured at the convulsing giant. "Try telling him that, then."

As she gazed guiltily at Murasakibara's heaving figure, Sadie reluctantly conceded her friend might have a point. Perhaps healthiness just wasn't some people's cup of tea.

* * *

When the day had finally reached its end, Sadie stood by her locker awaiting Momoi to come trotting over while her stomach growled an almost continuous string of protests. After having made Mura-kun positively ill with her lunch, her appetite had disappeared for a good portion of the day. But now it was back full force, and she nearly groaned with how hungry she was.

Finally, Momoi appeared at the stairs, bouncing down them two at a time to land in front of her. "Ready to go, Sae-chan?"

"You bet. I can't wait to get home." A particularly sharp pain in the stomach caused her to double over. "Ugh, how do girls manage to go so long without eating? Dieting these days is ridiculous!"

Momoi blinked at her. "Didn't you eat today?"

"Well," Sadie confessed sheepishly, "After what Mura-kun went through because of me… Let's just say that I wasn't too eager to dig in to what was left."

She snorted once. "Sae-chan, that kid is a big wuss."

"Momoi, his stomach hurt the whole day."

"His immune system simply didn't know what to do with a lettuce leaf. It's his fault for not keeping up a healthier diet!" she insisted.

 _GROOOOWWWL!_

Sadie groaned again. "Whatever, it doesn't matter now. Can we just get home?"

"Yeah, sure thing –"

Suddenly, a voice called from behind her, "Hey, Sadie-san. Do you want to walk home with us today?"

Turning, Sadie caught sight of Himuro approaching them, a pleasant smile on his handsome features. Normally she would be happy to accompany him, but with the way her stomach was acting up, she wasn't sure if she'd get halfway home without devouring him.

"Um… Well, I –"

"Atsushi just went to get some snacks," he explained. "He says it's too long of a walk without them."

"S-snacks?" she echoed, feeling a strange sensation in her chest.

"Yeah…" Himuro cocked his head. "Hey, Sadie-san, are you feeling alright?"

Before she could reply, Momoi piped in, "She hasn't eaten at all today, so she's not feeling good."

"Oh. Well in that case, I'm sure Atsushi won't mind sharing his snacks, so long as it's you, Sadie-san. If you're hungry, I'll sneak some for you." He winked at her.

Slowly, Sadie shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes. "I-I can't. Thanks anyway, though." Then, as though to contradict her statement, her stomach let out a grumble so fierce it echoed all the way down the hall, turning the heads of at least five of her peers.

Before the giggling and chuckling started up, Sadie hurriedly explained, "Sorry Himuro-san, I'm on a diet. See you later!" And then she hastened away, not stopping her frantic pace until she was well past the school gates. Once the buzz of students leaving the school faded, she let out a small breath and slowed her pace a little.

"What a bother," she huffed, swiping sweat off her brow. It was then she realised that along with Himuro, she's left her best friend in the dust back there. _Oops. Oh well, I'll make it up to her with some dumplings._ All guilt dissipating, she was nearly at the subway station when she heard it.

"SAAAEEEEE-CHAAAAAN!"

She only just managed to turn to intercept the figure barrelling towards her, but still, she was nearly knocked flat by the force of Momoi's body mid-sprint as it collided with hers. Before she could even take a breath, her shoulders were caught in a fierce grip that wrenched her head around to meet a pair of familiar light brown eyes.

"Idiot! Stupid, insensitive Sae-chan! What'd you leave me back there all alone for?! Meanie!"

Wheezing, Sadie got out a choked, "Sorry!" before being swept down to receive a furious noogie.

"Don't just run off without me like that again! I had to run to catch up to you! I don't run after anybody unless I'm gonna kill 'em! You got that?"

"Please don't kill me!" she squeaked, futilely struggling against her friend's hold.

"Idiot, of course I'm not gonna kill you." As quickly as she'd wrenched her down, Momoi tugged her into a bear hug that nearly squeezed the breath from her lungs. "Your dumplings are way too good. You have to make me some for lunch tomorrow for making me run, got it?"

"S-sure," Sadie choked. _Just get this crazy tiger off me!_

She finally loosened her hold, and Sadie broke away gasping. Pretending not to notice, Momoi looped an arm around her neck and began to walk towards the subway. "So what made you take off all of a sudden?"

"I just didn't want to wait for Mura-kun," Sadie supplied evasively. "How'd you catch up so quick, anyway? Have you been training over the break?"

Not even pretending to pay attention to the question, Momoi cut straight to the point. "You didn't want him to laugh at you, right?"

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Bullshit. I'm not stupid, you know."

Sadie threw her a warning glare. "Watch your language, Momoi-chan."

The smaller girl shrugged, uncaring. "Whatever. You don't have to hide it from me, Sae-chan. Mura-kun can be an insensitive ass, but I can see why you might like him a little."

"What?!" she sputtered indignantly. "I don't like him! He's a friend!"

But despite her attempts to persuade her friend, Momoi only smirked and tucked her hands behind her head. And so, abandoning her attempts to convince her otherwise, Sadie asked, "What did Himuro say after I took off? I bet he wasn't very impressed…"

"That's not true. He was just worried, that's all. Asked why you ran off so quick."

Icy apprehension shot through Sadie as she asked, "And did you tell him?" _Would she tell him something like that?_

Momoi sniffed indignantly and turned her face away. "I said that if he continued to ask dangerous questions I'd have to kill him and hide his body somewhere no one would find him."

Sadie stared at her friend in shock for a few moments, and then dissolved into a fit of laughter. Momoi gazed at her shaking figure with increasing irritation, before finally bellowing, "What?! What's so funny about that?"

"Ha… Nothing… Haha!" Still giggling, she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes and, seeing the red rapidly entering her friend's cheeks, wrapped an arm around her neck. "You're just the best friend ever, is all."

Her scowl quickly fading into a grin, Momoi elbowed her once in the ribs. "Damn straight I am. Now hurry up, I want to get to your place and eat some dumplings."

Sadie blinked. "But I thought you wanted them tomorrow for lunch?"

"I do want them tomorrow, but for laughing at me, you gotta make me some now too! And I want some of those sour pork thingies you had today as well. Did you know that you gave everyone else one of those except me?! What kind of friend forgets to give her best friend food, while everybody else gets to pick and choose what they like….?!"

As she continued on in what could only be labelled a 'Major Momoi Rant', Sadie listened with growing affection for her friend, her previous hunger retreating to the forgotten corner of her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

Hi readers! Thank you for choosing to continue with my story.

Some things to note before you start reading;

\- The italic's speech means that the characters are speaking in English

\- Sadie is an American with a much larger in build than most female Japanese teens

\- As much as this is a fanfic for KnB and above all, Murasakibara, it is centred around Sadie and the struggles she goes through as a teenage girl thrown into a society of high standards regarding both appearance and intellect.

That being said, I feel I should **warn** you that there is material in this fanfic that some readers may find disturbing. Please know that what I write in this fanfic is fiction only and not based on a personal experience or issue, and certainly not written with the intent to disturb.

Okay, you may continue. And remember, if you enjoy, please leave me a review.

* * *

 **Chapter Two:**

When Sadie finally arrived home with Momoi in tow, it was to a silent, empty house. At first she was confused – usually one of her parents would be home doing paper work – but after checking the office to find it empty, she said to Momoi, "I'm just going to go next door and see if they're in the shop."

Outside, Sadie held the door open for a few people who were leaving her parents' shop, and listened quietly as they gushed to each other about the food. One of the men just shrugged and said it was passable, but was quickly shut down by the others as they admired the various flavours in their food. Sadie smiled a little, feeling proud of her Dad. She truly believed that he was the best chef in Japan.

"Andrew I'm telling you, it's not right! All the flavours you're using are fine, but you're supposed to _simmer_ them, not sauté."

Sadie frowned at the rare use of her father's name; coming from her mother, anything besides ' _Anata'_ was usually not a good thing. Kimiko was standing by the door to the kitchen, muttering darkly and shaking her head. But when she caught sight of Sadie, a wide smile split her face and lit up her dark eyes.

"Sae-chan! When did you get back?"

"Just now, actually," she supplied as her mother came around the counter to pull her into a warm embrace. "There was no one in the house, so I came to see if you needed any help in the shop."

"Oh, Sae-chan, could you?" Eyes sparkling, she explained hurriedly, "We've been so busy today, the customers just keep coming! Neither of us have had a break all day –"

Suddenly, her father's voice came ringing from the back room. " _Rubbish! Don't listen to a word she says, Sadie-girl! We're doing just fine; we don't need to bother you with any of this. Go home and finish your homework._ "

Kimiko whirled around and glared in her father's direction. " _Baka_! I can speak English too, you know! We have customers, don't be so ill-mannered!"

Her father's face peered at them through the serving counter. "I can speak to my daughter in whatever language I like," he retorted, but continued on in fluent Japanese. "Sadie-girl, go home, we'll be fine by ourselves. It's just started to quiet down."

Still, Sadie wavered uncertainly. "Are you sure, Dad? You're not just saying that?"

"Yes, he _is_ just saying that," Kimiko supplied angrily, eyes flashing. "If he stopped experimenting with the food all the time, maybe we _would_ be on top of things –"

"Order up!" he bellowed, slapping a bowl of steaming hot ramen on the counter-top. As her mother grudgingly delivered it to the corner table, her father waved her over.

" _Sadie-girl, you wouldn't believe the recipe I came up with today! Here, come see…_ "

Smiling at his enthusiasm, Sadie obediently followed him into the kitchen and allowed him to show her the different blends of ingredients that were to be added into the new menu option.

" _It's a new dessert dumpling_ ," he explained in fervent English. " _I decided to go against the normal procedure and deep-fry them. Here, try these two together, tell me what you think._ "

Sadie hesitated, eyeing the heated oil. " _Uh, Dad, I'm kind of…"_ But as she processed her father's excitement, all resistance quickly faded, and she picked up the fork.

The moment the food touched her stomach, a rumbling growl echoed through the tiled room, making her flush with embarrassment. When she glanced up, her father was looking down at her with concern. " _Sadie, have you eaten today?_ "

" _Um… well, I was so busy at school that I didn't really have time to eat – actually, I kind of forgot._ "

His face turning worried, he grasped her arm in a firm hold, making it impossible to look away. " _Is this because you worked so late last night?_ "

" _No_!" she insisted. " _That's not it_."

" _Sadie, you must never let yourself go a full day without food. It's unhealthy for a young girl!_ " His face became hard, and he released her arm only to fold his. " _I refuse to allow my girl to go to school hungry or tired. If you need time for school work, you tell me. Understand?_ "

Sadie nodded, refusing to meet her father's eyes. " _I got it, Dad_."

" _As it is, I'm rostering you off for the rest of the week._ "

Her eyes widened in shock at her father's decree. " _What?! You can't! How are you going to keep up with the rush on the weekend? Who's going to bake the desserts?_ " She shook her head. " _You need me here, Dad._ "

" _Like hell I do. If you think I'm just going to stand back and watch my daughter run herself into the ground, you're sorely mistaken. Besides_ ," he said, grinning down at her, " _I'm pretty sure Link needs the practice_."

Sadie scoffed at the mention of her older brother. " _Link wouldn't know what to do with a wooden spoon if you gave it to him with a manual, let alone manage a whole dessert bake by himself. Plus, he's only ever seen me do it once_."

" _If he can read a manual on how a car works and manage to put one together, I'm sure he'll be able to reason his way through_." As she continued to protest, he waved away her concern similarly to a bothersome fly. " _You worry too much. Everything will be fine without you, Sadie-girl. Now eat up, you have study to do after_ –"

Suddenly the door to the kitchen flew open, and on the threshold loomed a dark and ominous figure. Sadie immediately backed up a step, but her father only raised a brow at the display. Then the figure spoke, and her voice sent small chills down Sadie's spine.

"Sae-chan… You left me alone again… Didn't I say that if you ever did that again, I'd kill you?" Two light brown eyes flashed dangerously.

Instead of being shocked, her father let loose a deep, bellowing laugh. "I think you have to be careful with this one, Sadie-girl; I don't think she's going to let you go any time soon."

Sadie had to agree with him there.

Still chuckling, he beckoned with a hand. "Momoi, come over here. I have something for you."

Almost instantly the Aura of Doom cleared, and two light brown, doe-like eyes blinked up at her father. "For me? Really?" She flounced over, landing on light feet right next to Sadie, who couldn't help but shuffle away a little uneasily. "What is it, _Itamae_?"

Chuckling at the high praise, he showed her the leftover new dessert dumplings, and her face positively sparkled with glee. "Go ahead, help yourself. But tell me what you think after."

He hadn't even finished speaking before she laid into the sweets with a ferocity that astounded even him. Before long, the plate was cleared, and Momoi rubbed her stomach with a contented sigh. "Hmmm, that was _yummy_! _Itamae_ -san, you should make these for the restaurant from now on! I'll eat them for you for free."

Her father blanched. "Um…"

" _Andrew_!" Kimiko barked from beyond the door. "What are you doing back there? You've got three orders lined up!"

Sighing deeply, he smiled down at the two girls and shooed them away. "You two better go. I have a feeling it's going to be hectic in here for a while, and nobody wants to see my wife when she's flustered."

Still Sadie hesitated. "Are you sure? I have some time to spare."

"Nope, you've done heaps for us already. I'm sure you have things to do." His face split into a doting grin. "You know, if she were here, Mom would be proud of you, Sadie-girl."

Forcing her face into a happy smile, she couldn't help but wonder how true that was.

 _~'After all'~,_ a treacherous voice whispered ~' _H_ _ow could she possibly be proud of somebody who can't even look at herself in the mirror?'~_

* * *

That night, as Sadie was finishing up her homework, a knock on the door announced the arrival of her father. As he strode inside, she first noticed the smell of the steaming bowl of curry he was holding, and then the beaming smile decorating his lined face. Her stomach sank.

" _Evening, Sadie-girl. Whatcha doin' there_?"

" _Just finishing up some school stuff_." Deciding not to beat around the bush, she reluctantly asked, " _What's that_?"

" _Dinner_ ," he announced proudly, plonking the bowl in front of her. " _And it's the good old-style American curry. All the yummy stuff_."

 _All the bad stuff._

As she sat there in silence wondering how best to tell him that she couldn't afford to eat the meal he'd made her, he picked up a familiar portrait from her bedside table. It was the four of them together – her mother, her father, her brother and herself – and the only family photo left after the fire that had destroyed the vast majority of them. Just thinking back on the painful memories made her want to cry.

When her father spoke, his voice had become slightly thicker. " _Look at you two… both so young_." He turned, offering her the frame – like she hadn't stared at it countless nights before.

Still, she smiled a little as she took it. Indeed, her normally irritable older brother was smiling merrily at the camera with a lanky arm wound around her neck. Even at fifteen, he was large for his age. " _This photo is special, right? It's the last one we took before_ …"

When she glanced up, her father was staring fixedly at the floor – and she couldn't pretend to ignore the slight sheen that covered his normally cheery eyes. " _Hey… Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean_ …"

He kept his gaze low for a few uncomfortable moments, and she was just wondering if perhaps she should hug it out with him when he returned to the present, yet another cheery smile adorning his face. " _You worry too much, Sadie-girl. I'm good. And you know what else is good_?" He offered her the bowl of American-style curry with a small wink.

She stifled a sigh, knowing that she was going to consume the meal her father had made her and the consequences that came with it.

Taking the bowl and spoon, Sadie couldn't help but let out a small moan of appreciation when the food reached her mouth. It was an old family recipe passed down from her great-great grandmother – on her mother's side. It tasted like warmth and happiness and family all rolled into one and boiled in a slow-cooker for fourteen hours.

It was the taste of home.

" _This was Mom's curry_ ," Sadie said, glancing up at her father. He nodded once. " _I haven't had this since…_ "

" _Since before she passed. I know_." He scrubbed the back of his head. " _I noticed how stressed you're becoming, Sadie-girl, even if you didn't want me to. So I thought… a little taste of home might do you some good, you know_?"

Sadie choked on a sob, swiping at her eyes as the flood of tears began. " _Yeah. You were right_ ," she sniffled, " _I did need it. Th-thanks, Dad_."

" _Oh, Sadie_ …" Bending down on one knee, her father pulled her into a tight embrace, and for the first time in months she lost herself on a tide of grief that she hadn't allowed herself to feel amidst her hectic life. " _You need to make more time for yourself, sweetheart. That way you can let yourself have these moments instead of bottling it all up inside_."

" _I know. But it's just_ …" She trailed off, not knowing how to explain.

He pulled back and held her at arm's length, his dark eyes searching. Even though their colour was the same chocolate brown, Sadie was still left squirming. " _It's what? What is it?_ "

" _I… I feel guilty_ ," she confessed in a rush, and then immediately regretted it.

Features turning firm, her father said in a low, fierce tone, " _Sadie, I have told you many times that there is no reason for you to worry about me and that shop. We have people to help if we need. They're not you, but they'll do. And as for your brother_ …" He stroked his chin thoughtfully, and then sighed. " _Well, he's beyond help really, but whatever decisions he makes are his own and not of your doing. I know you worry about him not being home with us, but he needs to break away for a while. Do some soul-searching. Link's not going anywhere permanently; he knows how good he has it here with you looking after him_."

He grinned at her, and she reluctantly returned the smile. " _So does that settle things? There's no need for you to feel that way. You do more than enough for all of us. And even though she's gone, your mother would be very proud of the way you keep our household running. I'm proud of you_."

Pang.

" _Go ahead, eat your supper. And then go straight to bed – no more homework for today, okay_?" He bent down, placing a warm kiss on her hair. " _Goodnight, Sadie-girl_."

" _'Night_ , _Dad_."

When the door closed with a soft _click_ , Sadie stared at the steaming bowl in front of her. The churning in her stomach left her with nearly no desire to eat, despite the fact that it was a very special meal. Because, even through her father's efforts, guilt was still eating her alive inside.

Not because of the restaurant.

Not even because of Link.

Fresh tears coursed down her face because even though this meal had been made with love and was more meaningful than the portrait sitting on her bedside table, she was going to throw it all up later.

She picked up the spoon with a trembling hand and began to eat.

* * *

"…Sae-chan… Sae-chan…!"

"Oi, _Baka_ -Sae!"

Momoi's overly-loud voice threw her back into the present. "Huh?"

Her best friend rolled her eyes. "You're slow today! I was asking if you brought your swim-suit with you. We have that for gym today, remember?"

Sadie cringed at the reminder, realising that she'd completely forgotten about it. "No, I didn't bring it. Can't I just skip?"

"Skipping classes without a valid reason isn't acceptable," Himuro piped up from beside her.

"No one asked for your opinion, Mr. I'm-So-Good-'Cause-I'm-A-Student-Council-Member," Momoi grumbled. Himuro just shrugged and picked up his sandwich. Dismissing him, Momoi said seriously, "But Sae-chan, Kameko-sensei won't let you skip when there are spare swim-suits available."

Sadie paled as she realised what her afternoon was about to become. "But they're…"

"Vile? Off-putting? Yeah, you got that right." She hummed and picked at Sadie's fruitful lunchbox.

It was at that moment – when Sadie felt it was a good idea to fake her own death and escape – that Murasakibara chose to appear at the door. After first knocking his head against the door frame – "You have to lower your head, Atsushi" – he made his way to their group and grabbed the closest chair, earning him a peeved glare from the original owner.

Immediately he snatched Sadie's lunchbox, but Momoi was having none of it; letting out a fierce growl, she got there before him, and his massive hand nearly took up the whole desk as it slapped the table. "I don't think so, big guy. This one's _mine_."

Murasakibara's previously animated expression quickly turned dark with rage, and even Sadie gulped at the look he fixed on her best friend. "Give it back, little girl. I'll eat you."

Instead of being intimidated, Momoi took a bite from another dumpling and smiled pleasantly. "I don' fink I wanna."

"Momoi," Himuro began in a warning tone, "I think you should let it go and give Atsushi his food back."

Momoi swallowed the food in her mouth – without chewing – and exclaimed, " _His_ food? What the hell's with this guy? It's _my_ food; I had it first!"

"You know what he's like with his regular snacks. This is Sadie-san's food we're talking about – I wouldn't put it past him to make good on his threat."

"As if I care! That big-mouthed giant can go sit on a stick for all I care –" Sadie cringed as Momoi's choice of words drew disgusted glances from multiple classmates "– but he's not getting the food Sae-chan made for _me_ , got it?"

At her side, the hungry purple-haired giant was fast becoming impatient, and thinking fast, Sadie dug around in her bag. She quickly drew out the lunchbox she had prepared as a back-up and threw it in front of him.

Previous food source forgotten, Murasakibara dug into the lunch without another glance at Momoi, who was eating contentedly and watching him like an older cat would watch a kitten. Himuro's tense shoulders sagged with relief, and he nodded gratefully at Sadie.

 _I think I know them too well._

* * *

That afternoon, after receiving a firm scolding from Himuro-san for attempting to skip gym class, Sadie found herself standing at the entrance to the changing rooms. Doubts and insecurities were flying through her mind almost at the speed of light, but the most prominent was the knowledge that no matter how much she fidgeted with it, the faded pink-and-green swim-suit did absolutely nothing for her already chunky figure.

 _They're all going to laugh,_ she thought, already wanting to curl up somewhere no one would see her. _I should just forget Himuro's warning and go home._

Just as she was debating her odds of success, she heard Kameko-sensei's voice calling her name from behind the doors. _Too late now._

Taking a deep breath for courage, she pushed through the doors and jogged over to her group, calling "Here!" as she went. A few pairs of eyes settled on her as she slowed to a halt, taking in her thicker-than-usual thighs and her larger frame. Sadie fixed a polite expression on her face and forced herself to look only at Sensei.

Still they stared.

Finishing her roll call, Kameko-sensei threw the board to the ground and blew her whistle to command attention. "Ladies, listen up! We're going to be doing some basic drills – freestyle, breast stroke, back stroke and if you're feeling adventurous, butterfly – and finish up with some healthy competitive relays. Understand?"

" _Hai_!" the girls chorused together.

A slight touch on her arm announced Momoi's presence. "Good luck."

"Thanks. Try not to drown anyone, okay?"

"Depends if they get in my way."

Sadie giggled at her friend's deadpan expression and made her way to line up at one of the diving blocks. Truthfully, she wasn't a bad swimmer; back in Georgia, she'd represented her high school at the State heats before calling it quits. Still, she decided to just keep her stroke slow and easy for today.

At least, that _was_ the plan – before the girl before her faltered mid-stroke.

"Ow! My leg!" she screamed, flailing. "It's cramping!"

Sadie reacted immediately; kicking her legs furiously, she pushed through the water until her arms burned and caught the girl right before she went under. Spluttering, the girl clutched her arm in a fierce grip that would definitely leave bruises later, but at that moment all Sadie could see was her terrified expression.

"Ow ow ow! It hurts!" she cried. "Please help me!"

"It's okay, climb on my back," she said urgently, kicking her legs furiously to keep her head above water as the girl clung onto her neck. In the distance, Sadie barely registered a whistle blowing over and over. "Take a deep breath. We're going under."

The girl nodded, sniffling, but inhaled deeply before the water closed over her head. It took every ounce of energy Sadie had to get both of them to the edge before her own legs began to cramp. As soon as they surfaced, hands grabbed at them and pulled them out of the water. The girl was crying in pain, and Sadie was gasping for breath by the time they were both out.

Momoi crouched before her, grasping her shoulders and gazing into her eyes. "You okay?"

Sadie couldn't speak; instead, she nodded once, and then went into a coughing fit.

"You don't look fine. You idiot. What the hell were you thinking?"

"She was drowning," Sadie gasped.

"So? Sensei was waiting at the side of the pool with a life-jacket. Instead you went ahead and tried to drown yourself."

Sadie blinked in surprise. "R-really?"

"Yes."

"Oh… Well –"

"Sadie-san, are you okay?" Sensei was suddenly in front of her, pushing a grumbling Momoi aside to gaze into her eyes. "How's your breathing."

Sadie shook her head, wondering the same thing. "I'm fine, Sensei… Just give me… a moment… gotta get… my breath…" _Seriously, what is wrong with me?_

But Sensei wasn't convinced. Shaking her head, she turned to Momoi. "Take her to the nurse. I'm not taking any chances."

Nodding, Momoi put her face beside Sadie's and wrapped an arm around her waist. Then she chuckled. "Well, that's one way to get out of class." She gripped her friend's wrist and hoisted her up.

Sadie blinked as the blood suddenly rushed from her head. "That's not –" But she didn't get to finish her sentence.

Her vision flickered and then went black altogether.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

Sadie slowly came to under the soft afternoon light that streamed through the window to her right. She was lying alone in one of the infirmary beds with nothing but the sound of distant shouts from the students below and the chirping of small birds to accompany her. She sighed peacefully, allowing herself to take a moment of respite. She hadn't felt so content in such a long –

"Sae-chan! You're awake!" Momoi was standing at the door to the nurse's office, smiling broadly as she bounded over.

Sadie returned her grin. "Sure am. What time is it?"

"It's still early afternoon. You've only been out for a half hour."

"Dammit," she sighed. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to go back there…"

Momoi blinked at her in surprise. "Uh, hold up, Sae-chan. Kameko-sensei won't allow you back in gym class like this."

"Huh? She won't?"

"No, moron! Are you kidding?" Her friend rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I'd be surprised if she lets you come back at all this term. You know her track record was completely clean before you? No accidents at all in her five years of teaching."

"Oh…" Sadie gnawed her lip guiltily. "Well, I suppose it could have been a lot worse. That girl didn't know what to do with herself once her leg started cramping."

Another roll of the eyes. "I'm sure the instinct to just lie there and float would've kicked in sooner or later, Sae-chan. Anyway, I thought you were supposed to be a good swimmer? What was with that fainting spell?"

Sadie frowned, wanting to know the same thing. "You know, I'm not sure…" When she glanced up, Momoi was staring down at her with a strange look. "What?"

"You don't know?"

"No," she replied slowly. "Why, what's the matter?"

Momoi scuffed her foot at something on the floor. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"Yes, I had…" Sadie suddenly trailed off, realising that she hadn't actually had anything to eat today. Again. "Uh, now that I think about it – no."

"Do you have any lunch left?" Momo asked, still not looking at her.

"I don't think so. Is there a reason you're not looking at me, Momoi-chan?"

She straightened, looking Sadie in the eye as she said, "You've lost weight, Sae-chan. A lot of weight. I don't think you're eating enough."

Immediately her guard went up; in her mind she frantically sifted through her memories, wondering how and when Momoi had picked up on her strange behaviour. Had she been paying more attention to her than normal during lunch? Or was it the drastic change to her diet Momoi had picked up on? When had she let her guard down?

When she realised Momoi was still waiting for a response, she swallowed and said slowly, "Momoi, um… I think you're worrying a little too much, okay? I'm totally fine. See?" She held out her arms, turning them this way and that – like that solved anything. "I'm just changing my diet a little. It's nothing to get worked up over."

For the first time in all the time they had known each other, Momoi's brow darkened with anger at her friend. "I'm not an idiot, Sae-chan! I can see what's happening, ya know!"

Sadie flinched and swallowed uneasily. "What do you mean? Why are you mad?"

"Why am I mad?" she repeated, running a frustrated hand through her light brown hair. "Because, Sae-chan, you don't care what I think at all, do you?"

She blinked in surprise. "Huh? Where did you get a ridiculous thought like that?"

"From you, of course! You're the one doing stupid stuff like starving yourself!"

Now it was Sadie's turn to be frustrated. "Okay, hold on a second. First of all, I'm not _starving_ myself. And secondly, what does that have to do with me not caring about you?"

"Ugh, seriously!" Momoi huffed, rolling her eyes. "You're gonna make me say it."

"Say what?"

"Something that shouldn't even _have_ to be said in the first place." She huffed again, shuffling her feet. "Sae-chan, I don't make friends with stupid people. I kick stupid people. What you're doing is stupid. Starving yourself is stupid. And you're smart, Sae-chan!"

Sadie frowned, trying to keep up with the complicated way her best friend's mind worked. "So what you're saying is, you don't want to be friends with me anymore?"

"What? No! Idiot," Momoi grumbled, racking her over the head with her knuckles. "I'm saying that I made friends with you in the first place because you were smart and nice. You were different from the other girls, who only care about boys and makeup and stupid stuff like that. I thought you knew that already…"

"I-I think I do," Sadie replied softly.

Momoi scoffed. "Hmm, maybe I gave you more credit than I should have."

Sadie studied her friend, and then let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, maybe you did."

They smiled together, and then Momoi was all-seriousness again. "Sae-chan, will you promise me that you'll stop being an idiot and starving yourself? I don't want you to end up like this again, okay?"

Sadie smiled in response, patting the mattress next to her. When her friend sat, she said, "Fine, I'll start eating a little more often. But I like my diet, and I want to keep eating healthily. Does that sound okay?"

Momoi considered her for a moment, and then conceded with a short nod. "But that means that you'll have to make triple of everything – for me, you and Mura-kun."

Sadie narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to give any food to Mura-kun, are you?"

Momoi studied her nails and didn't reply.

* * *

That afternoon, Sadie found herself in yet another sticky situation. After they'd arrived home at her house, she had gone to the bathroom for only five minutes when Momoi had taken it upon herself to explain in great detail to her family just what had happened at school earlier. When she emerged, she was delighted to see Link standing with her father in the hallway – it quickly melted to apprehension when she caught sight of Momoi just behind and to the right of them.

Like the evil mastermind behind a plan that had yet to be revealed.

Her father opened his mouth to say something, but Link beat him to it. He was already striding across the room to grip Sadie's arm tightly. "What the hell is this I'm hearing about, Nee-san? You're starving yourself at school? Fainting during gym class? What the hell?"

Behind her brother's arm, her eyes sought her friends' with all the inner fury she could muster. Using just her gaze, she repeated Link's question; _'What the hell?'_

"Hey! You listening?" Link shook her arm. "I asked you a question, Sadie!"

Sadie glared up at her brother and wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "It's none of your business, Link."

" _The hell it isn't,_ " he retorted, abruptly switching to English. " _I go away for two weeks and I come back to find this place going to sh –_ "

Her father interrupted his rant with a firm slap on the back of his son's head. " _Just because you're speaking English doesn't mean you get to say what you like, Lincoln. Stop speaking to your sister that way._ "

Link rubbed the back of his head and glared at him. "Dammit old man, but you still hit like a truck."

"You bet I do," he replied firmly, and then his brown eyes found hers. "Now Sadie-girl, tell us what happened."

Sadie folded her arms. "Why do you need my account when you seem to have been satisfied with Momoi's explanation?"

Her father's eyes narrowed. "Don't be like that, Sadie. Momoi was just worried about you. I'm glad she said something."

Link frowned at Momoi, who was gazing around innocently at anything but her friend. "Wait, Nee-san, you still hang out with this weirdo?"

At that, Momoi's head snapped around and her flashing eyes bored into Link. "You got a problem with that, Degenerate?"

As his father snorted into his shoulder, Link's chest puffed out like an angry peacock. "Now that I'm back, there're gonna be a few changes around here, alright? And you stepping foot in this house is gonna be one of 'em."

"If by changes you mean it's gonna be worse than when you left, then I'd have to agree with you there." Momoi smirked cheerily at him.

This time Sadie's father burst out laughing, causing Link to scowl at him. "Who's side are you on anyway, old man?"

Still chuckling, he replied, "Son, if you're immature enough to still believe in 'sides' then I'm worried about you leaving the nest so early. Maybe you should stick around for a while." His trademark cheery smile appeared as he winked at Sadie. "God knows it'll give your sister some peace of mind, knowing you're not out there making stupid decisions."

As Sadie sputtered a denial, Momoi yawned and stretched her arms to the ceiling. "Well since it doesn't look like I'll be getting any food today, I think I'll start making my way home."

Link scowled down at her with his hands on his hips. "Oh, that's just so you, ditching the party as soon as there's nothing in it for you anymore."

Momoi frowned like she was trying to recall something. "I think you might have me mixed up with someone else, Harper-kun. Yourself, maybe?"

"That's 'san' to you, loser."

"Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it?"

Sighing, her father scrubbed his face with a rough hand. "That's enough, you two. Geez, put these two together for five minutes and they're at each other's throats."

Sadie grinned. "They just really missed each other, Dad." When Momoi bared her teeth at her, she returned the grimace with a _'Karma, bitch'_ stare.

"Whatever, I don't really care. I need to speak with Sadie-girl, and Momoi-chan needs to go home before it gets dark. Link, take her home."

Almost immediately a string of sputtering and denial sprang from her older brother, and Sadie rolled her eyes at his dramatics. Evidently, her father didn't want to hear it either; he held up a hand, and that was all it took to stop the tirade. "Enough, I don't care what you would rather be doing. Be a man and walk the young lady home, alright? Without killing her."

Link grumbled but reluctantly walked to the front door, holding it open for Momoi – who took her time putting her shoes back on. When she was ready, she stood in the open doorway for another full five minutes wishing Sadie and her father a pleasant night, and reminding her friend to triple bake for school tomorrow. Her brother's face was just about purple before they finally left.

Her father sighed again. "Those two are both grenades just waiting to blow. One goes off, so does the other…"

"Tell me about it," she muttered in agreement.

"Now, tell me what happened today."

It wasn't long afterwards that she realised what had started out as a simple explanation to reassure him that everything was fine was going to turn into a long discussion about her health. Again.

And sure enough, two hours later, their conversation finally drew to an exhausting close. No homework or baking had been done – no washing or chores. _Looks like I'm going to be in for another late night._

Suddenly her father looked around with a small frown on his face. "What is it?" she asked.

"Link's not back yet. Momoi doesn't live far – he should have been back an hour ago…"

Sadie frowned as well. "Do you want to call his cell?"

"Yeah, maybe –"

The front door flew wide, and in strode Link with an angry glower decorating his features. His hair was windblown and dirt smeared the bottom of his expensive jeans. He took off his mud-caked shoes and threw them outside – a _long_ way outside. When he sat down, he folded his arms and stared fixedly at the TV.

Sadie glanced at her father and shrugged helplessly.

Clearing his throat, her father began slowly, "Did something –"

"No. And I don't want to talk about it." His curt reply left nothing but silence in its wake.

Even more reluctantly he asked, "Is Momoi-chan alright?"

Link snorted dryly. "Oh yeah, she's just fine. Peachy. Clean as a bell."

"That's good I suppose?" Sadie offered.

"Good!" he burst out, shooting up from the chair. "Good, you say! Yeah, it's just great! That spoiled little brat gets to sleep _real_ well knowing she put me through the wringer. Sweet dreams, Momoi-chan!"

He stormed off then, muttering something about going for a shower. Sadie looked to her father for answers, but he only sighed again, scrubbing the back of his head. "Like I said. Grenades."

* * *

True to her word, the next day she came to school with triple the amount of lunch that she herself would normally eat. In spite of the strange looks she received from her peers, she tried to focus on nothing except her school work all morning. So when lunch finally arrived, it was a blessing.

Like clockwork, Momoi came bounding in, snagging the nearest chair and straddling it, receiving weird looks from the girls as she did. Sadie tried to ignore the uneasy feeling in her gut as she spotted Hikari trying to appear surreptitious while glancing at them and whispering to her two friends in the corner. Then they giggled and left the room – Sadie had to swallow back her rising concern.

"Sae-chan, what's for lunch today?" Momoi demanded immediately.

"Uh… rice cakes and spring rolls…" Momoi chirped happily, but Sadie was too distracted by the whispers spreading like fire. "Hey, Momoi-chan, should you be sitting like that?"

"Huh?" Momoi glanced down at herself, then back up. "Yeah, why?"

Hesitantly Sadie asked, "Shouldn't you sit in it properly?"

"Huh?" she said again, this time squinting at Sadie like she was a strange insect. "What's wrong with how I sit?"

"Uh… Nothing, it's just –"

Thankfully Himuro chose that moment to make his appearance. As he sat, he took one look at Momoi and frowned disapprovingly. "Momoi, sit properly. You're disturbing your classmates."

Momoi scoffed and shrugged. "They're not my classmates."

"Well they're your best friend's classmates, and you're going to make people think bad things about the both of you if you keep it up."

Momoi glanced at Sadie questioningly, but when she received no comment, began to slowly rearrange her seat. "I don't care what people think," she muttered grudgingly.

"Well, you should," Himuro admonished, but gently this time. "It makes your life in high school much more pleasant."

Before Momoi could retort, Sadie quickly asked him, "Hey Himuro-san, where's Mura-kun?"

Himuro rolled his eyes. "Atsushi got held up in the hall. He'll be here in a minute."

But five minutes later, Sadie was beginning to worry that with the rate Momoi was scoffing down her portion of food, there mightn't be any food left by the time Murasakibara finally showed up. Making up her mind, she stood.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go see what's holding up Mura-kun, okay?" Momoi mumbled what sounded like an affirmative through a mouth full of food; Himuro just nodded absently and went back to his notes.

Outside, students filled the halls, chatting and giggling. It took Sadie a few minutes before she finally found him. Smiling, she began to stroll towards him when she realised he was talking to someone. She slowed her pace, wondering when it would be a good time to interrupt. Maybe it was a fellow basketball player?

"Hey, Mura-kun! Are you listening?" Sadie froze at the feminine voice, recognising it.

"Huh?" There didn't seem to be a shred of interest in his tone.

Giggles ensued, and Sadie hid herself in the doorway to another classroom – earning herself strange looks from the inhabitants. Hikari repeated her question. "I said you should come and eat lunch with us. We were just about to meet up with some of your teammates. You'd like that, right?"

His answer was instant and firm. "No."

Again with the silence. Then – "Why not?"

"I'm already eating lunch with Sae-chin."

"Sae-chin?" The voice was confused. "You mean Sadie-san?"

"Sae-chin." A crumpling noise suggested that he's just opened a packet of chips.

"Are… Are you friends with Sadie-san?"

Sadie leaned around the jam so she could make out the outline of his shoulders shrugging. "She makes good food, I guess."

As more giggles started up, Sadie felt her insides turning to mush – and not the good kind. The kind of mush that was cold and made up of every hope you didn't even know you'd harboured up until this point.

"She makes good food?" Hikari repeated incredulously, following up with more giggling. "That's the only reason?"

Again with the shrugging. "She's nice. Himuro likes her."

"Well why don't you invite Himuro along too? You can come hang out with all of us and have some fun," she offered.

When he spoke next, he sounded impatient. "Don't wanna. I'm hungry, can I go now?"

"Hold on, Mura-kun!"

Murasakibara halted and grumbled, "What?"

"I want to know… You said that Himuro likes Sadie-san… But what do you like about her?"

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"Well… She's kind of fat, isn't she? I mean, besides her cooking, do you like Sadie-san at all?"

Sadie waited with baited breath for his answer, suddenly wondering if she actually _wanted_ to stay and hear this –

"I don't like her. I don't like anyone. You're all annoying." When there was no reply to his comment, he said impatiently, "Can I go now?"

"Y-yeah –"

"Sae-chan! There you are!" Momoi's voice snapped her out of some sort of trance, and she turned to see both her and Himuro approaching from the classroom. "You disappeared on me again, I'm seriously gonna kill you this time – Sae-chan, _why_ are you crying?!"

Sadie frowned. "Huh?"

Momoi rushed over and grabbed her face in a firm hold. "You're crying! What's going on?" She turned to the nearest person, who happened to be a male from the classroom they were standing outside of. "Was it you? Did you make Sae-chan cry? I'll kill you, bastard!"

Thankfully Himuro grabbed her before she could lunge at the poor boy, who was backpedalling quickly. "Momoi, calm down."

"Calm down?! Look at her, she's _crying_!"

Sadie frantically wiped at her eyes, shame flushing her cheeks. "Momoi-chan I'm fine, okay?"

Himuro peered at her questioningly. "Sadie-san, what happened?"

"Who did it?" Momoi demanded instead.

"I-It's nothing, really. Just give me a moment."

"I'll give you more than that – I'll give you their head on a _platter_ – I'll serve their guts medium-rare – I'll carve out their eyes and butter toast with them –"

"Momoi, enough!" Himuro exclaimed exasperatedly. "Just give it a rest!"

"The hell I will!"

Sadie glanced around self-consciously as their shouting drew the attention of those around them. A pair of purple eyes met hers, and she seemed to shrink up inside.

Almost immediately Murasakibara started for them; when Himuro caught sight of him, he frowned. "There you are, Atsushi. What have you been?"

"I got held up by some annoying girls," he grumbled in reply. "Can we go eat now?"

"No, we can't!" Momoi growled, pointing a finger in Sadie's direction. "Someone made Sae-chan cry, and I'm gonna find out who – huh? Sae-chan?" There was only air where Sadie had been five seconds ago. "Where did she go?"

Himuro was gazing at something behind them. "I don't know; she just took off. Maybe to clean herself up?"

Murasakibara groaned impatiently. "What'd she have to leave for? I'm hungry!"

Momoi slowly turned to face him, all her inner frustration on display. "Sae-chan is upset, and all you can think about is _food_? Don't you have an off-switch?"

"Shut up, little girl. I'll eat you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Stop it, you two!" Himuro turned to his friend. "Atsushi, did you see what made Sadie-san upset?"

Murasakibara shrugged and dug his hand into another chip packet. "She just stood there staring while I was talking with those girls before. I think she was trying to hide from someone…"

"Girls?" Momoi repeated. "Which girls?"

He pointed, and she followed his gaze to see Hikari and her friends disappearing around the corner with put-out looks on their faces. " _Those_ girls?" When he just nodded, she narrowed her eyes dangerously. "And what were you talking about exactly?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

Hi guys, hope you're enjoying my fanfic – although I suppose if you've made it this far, you must at least think it's reasonably enjoyable.

Just a heads-up; as awesome and funny as some of these characters are, this fanfic really should have a 'hurt' tag with it, because some aspects of this story are going to get pretty heavy. But it's all part of the development process. Still, I believe that the friendships that develop are more important than the psychological aspect.

Sadie-girl has a lot of growing to do, so I hope you stay with her on her journey as she goes along; this is an OC fic, after all. However, if you are unsatisfied with the amount of Murasakibara content in here, I can assure you that he will make more of an appearance very soon. A whole lot more.

If you _are_ enjoying it so far, please do me a solid and leave me a review. Tell me what you like about it, what you don't, and what could be better. Happy reading!

 _Note: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke, nor any of the characters._

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

In some part of her mind, Sadie knew that she probably shouldn't have just taken off the way she had, leaving her friends in the dark. It was rude and overly dramatic. Bad-mannered. Irresponsible. So why didn't she care?

Perhaps because even more pressing was the desperate instinct to escape; not _him_ , but the feelings invoked inside her now that she knew what he really thought of her. The crippling disappointment was almost too much to bear; not in _him_ , but in herself for having developed hopes in the first place. It wasn't like he'd given her any indication that he was remotely interested in her. And when had she become so interested in him? How had these feelings even taken root without her being aware? Where in the hell had she been when her feelings had decided to make an appearance?

Either way, they were tearing her apart now. _Damn, this hurts…_

Barely aware of where she was heading, she frantically tried to get a hold of her spinning emotions. That was the worst part; that he could have such an effect on _her_ , when he couldn't care less what she did aside from make good food. He hadn't even claimed her as a _friend_ , for God's sake. _Why?_

 _~'Because you're ugly,'~_ an inner voice replied softly.

Sadie paused, swallowing as she digested the thought. _No, I'm not._

 _~'You are,'~_ it insisted. ~ _'Even your peers believe it.'~_

She shook her head and continued walking. _Momoi told me so._

 _~'Ah, but Momoi only said that you were nice. She didn't say you weren't ugly.'~_

 _Yes, she did! She said to stop having thoughts like that!_

 _~'She only said that to stop you from leaving her! You think she can make friends easily? She's a nutcase! In a school as big as this, the only friend she could make happened to be the fattest, most insecure student! She just doesn't want to be lonely like you!'~_

"Stop!" Sadie shouted, drawing many looks. She sniffled, wiping her nose, eyes seeking the nearest bathroom. Thankfully, it was empty. She stood in front of the mirror and studied her reflection carefully, trying to find a single thing she could be proud of in her own reflection. Surely there was one…!

Then the voice in her head began to laugh; softly at first, and then it became all she could hear. It was a mocking sound, grating in her head. The sound of her hand slapping the counter ricocheted against the tiled walls. "Leave me alone!" 

_~'Never,'~_ it replied menacingly, and her tears abruptly stopped. _'You'll never be beautiful, and I will always be here.'~_

Sadie stared at herself helplessly, wondering if she was going insane. Hearing voices in her head – talking to them. She must be going crazy. But the strangest thing was, under the weight of despair that seemed to be crushing her heart, she felt that she would much rather be insane than attempt to bear it.

* * *

Fifteen minutes after the bell announcing to the students it was time to return to class, Sadie was still holed up in the bathroom searching for the strength to come out. She studied her hands, which were currently twisting themselves together, breathing deeply for calm. No matter how she felt, she needed to emerge from this place calm and collected – at least on the outside. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't quite stop her breath from hitching or her hands from shaking.

 _Just breathe. Come on, calm down now…_ She repeated it in her head like a mantra until her chest eased up. Unfortunately, it looked like that was as far as she was going to get. _Alright, just get to class now, okay? Okay…_

She took her time walking, saying the soothing words over and over until she stood outside the classroom. When she entered, she mumbled some excuse about being sick and took her seat. Thankfully Momoi was in her class in that moment, so she wouldn't have to deal with any questions until later. _I wonder if I can just avoid everyone for today…?_

And so, when class finally ended, Sadie guiltily packed up her belongings and escaped into the hall. She could make out Momoi's small figure standing outside of her classroom, clearly waiting for her to emerge. A cold feeling, worse than guilt, spread through her chest.

 _I'm a horrible friend._

 _'You said it, sweetheart.'_

She felt sick with herself. But with the desire to go home paramount, she ignored it and hastened away from the school. Maybe Momoi would stop by her house; she'd see her then and apologise. If not, she'd have to explain during school tomorrow.

Heart heavy, she set out for home, narrowly dodging Himuro at the front gate when she saw him waiting. _Dammit, Momoi must have asked him to wait ahead..._ It wasn't until he turned away to chat with another female student council member that she saw her chance; hunching her shoulders, she passed through with a group of girls who all gave her strange looks. She let out a relieved breath when she was past, vaguely wondering how much trouble she was going to be in tomorrow.

 _"Sae-chan… You left me alone again… Didn't I say that if you ever did that again, I'd kill you?"_

Sadie shivered. _A lot of trouble, I think._

At home, Sadie realised that trying to sneak past her friends was one thing, but trying to sneak past her brother was a more different scenario. She'd made it to the third stair when his voice rang out from the kitchen.

 _"Oi, Sadie! That you?"_

 _No? "Yes?"_

Footsteps came down the hall, until he was standing before her with a custard tart clutched in one hand. Even though she was on the third step, he was still nearly taller than her. _"Whatcha sneaking around for?"_

She shrugged and hoisted her bag higher. _"Don't know what you're talking about."_

 _"Uhuh, sure."_ He rolled his eyes _. "Momoi called earlier."_

 _"Oh… And?"_

 _"She said you were crying today."_ He crossed his arms, adopting his big-brother stance. _"Who made you cry?"_

She sighed. _"Would you believe me if I said no one?"_

 _"Nope."_

Another weary sigh. _"Why not?"_

He grinned at her then; it was a big-brother smile. _"'Cause I've never known you to cry for no reason. You might be a wuss, but even I know you're made of strong stuff."_

 _"Yeah well, growing up with you, I kind of had to be."_

He chuckled. _"Not gonna argue with you there. Now, what happened today?"_

Sadie suddenly glanced around, frowning. _"Where's Dad?"_

 _"Oh no, you don't."_ He wagged an annoying finger in her face. _"You're not pulling any distractive manoeuvres on me."_

She glared at him. _"I'm not trying to distract you. I just know Dad doesn't work in the shop on Thursday afternoons – he sits down at the kitchen table and does the payslips. But he's not here, so where is he?"_

It was Link's turn to be uncomfortable; he frowned and scratched at his jaw. Immediately Sadie became suspicious. _"What happened?"_

 _"What?"_ he burst out, holding up his hands – like that solved anything. _"What makes you think anything is wrong?"_

 _"You scratched at your jaw; your face is red. And you're putting your arms between us just like a wall, which suggests that you're hiding something."_

He gave her a weird look. _"How do you even know this stuff?"_

 _Because Takarai Rihito is a goddess of manga. "Never mind that. Just tell me what's going on."_

 _"Look…"_ He scratched the back of his neck uneasily. _"Dad asked me not to tell."_

 _Oh, so it's going to be like that…_ Adopting her crazy little sister expression, she arched her neck and lowered her brow, causing her eyes to darken and her features to sharpen. She could practically see him cower. _"Lincoln Harper, you tell me what's going on right now or I swear upon our mother's grave, I'll live to see you regret it…!"_

That did it. _"Dammit, alright! Calm down, okay?"_ He threw his hands up in exasperation. _"He didn't want me to tell, but since you're already suspicious I guess it doesn't matter. Dad's at the taxation office."_

Immediately alarm bells started to ring. _"Why?"_

 _"I don't know! He said it wasn't important…"_

A lie. That was definitely a lie. _"Why are you lying to me?"_

 _"Because…"_ He scrubbed the back of his neck and let out a weary breath. _"Look Sadie, things haven't exactly been peachy around here lately. Dad's been having some trouble. Financial trouble. The tax office came calling, and it turns out he hasn't been paying them for some time…"_

 _"How long is 'some time', exactly?"_

Now he was definitely uncomfortable. _"Uh… about five months?"_

Sadie took a moment to digest this – not two nights ago, her father had assured her that everything was fine at home. Five months' worth of tax debt… _"How much does he owe?"_

Link shrugged once. _"I dunno exactly. But that's the reason I came back here, see. He needed me to help out."_

 _"So that's what you meant yesterday when you said this place is going to hell…"_ She shook her head sadly. _"I'm sorry, Link. This is my fault."_

He blinked – then glowered angrily at her. _"Hold up. What part of this is your fault?"_

 _"A few months ago, Dad stopped having me work so regularly in the shop because he thought I couldn't handle the work load. He even started doing most of the chores around here. I haven't been pulling my weight, and now you're going to pay for it."_

His scowl only got worse while she spoke. When she was done, he drew a hand through his hair. _"Look Sadie, I was talking horseshit yesterday. Home is home – it's as good as it's always been. And Dad doesn't delude himself; if he says you couldn't handle it, then I'm sure even the President of the United States would've buckled eventually."_ When she refused to look at him, he gripped her elbow and shook her. _"Hey, you listening? Stop being an idiot. Dad's dealing with it. Everything will be fine, okay?"_

Sadie nodded, despite the fact that she didn't believe a word of it. Evidently she didn't do a very convincing job, because Link gave her a concerned side-glance. As though a bright idea had suddenly hit him, he straightened a little and grinned at her. _"Hey, I know what would cheer you right up."_

 _"A million dollars?"_ she suggested wryly.

He chuckled again. _"It's just as good, I promise. Look, come here."_

Resigned, she allowed her brother to drag her down the hall and into the kitchen. As he rummaged through the fridge, she set her bag on the counter and heaved her butt onto it. Two seconds later he emerged, triumphant, and holding up two Twinkie packets. The cheery grin on his face – which was remarkably similar to his father's – suggested that he was extremely confident in his 'bright' idea. Unfortunately, it didn't prevent Sadie's stomach from shrivelling a little at the sight.

 _"What… Where did you get those?"_ she asked disbelievingly.

He shrugged. _"I know a guy."_

 _"What kind of guy? You can't exactly find those on any corner store around here."_

He rolled his eyes. _"Could you stop stressing for just one second? Geez. How long has it been since you had one of these?"_

Sadie thought for a moment. _"I think… Since I was fourteen?"_

 _"That was four years ago! Seriously, just stop complaining and eat it."_

Again with the stomach shrivelling. Swallowing, Sadie hesitantly began, _"Uh, you know, I'm not really hungry. You go ahead and eat it…"_

He gave her an incredulous look. _"Are you kidding? You used to love these! What's gotten into you?"_

 _"Nothing, it's just…"_ Once again, she found herself backed into a corner.

Rolling his eyes, he ripped open the packet and forced the food into her hand. _"Why don't you stop being uptight and just eat the Twinkie? I promise you're not gonna die."_

Sadie considered it for a moment, trying to ignore the way her tongue nearly immediately became drenched with saliva. One glance at her brother's raised eyebrow and she knew that there was only one way to avoid unnecessary suspicion. _Man, it's been so long since I've had one of these…_ The food nearly melted in her mouth when she took the first bite.

Derisive laughter filled her mind. ~ _'Please, you'd find any excuse to eat that thing… You're pathetic…'~_

Immediately she went still, the food turning to ash in her mouth. _No; if I don't do this, he'll wonder why…_

 _~'Keep telling yourself that, beautiful.'~_ More laughter. ~ _'I knew you couldn't keep this up.'~_

 _No, I…_ Sadie's posture went rigid. _I can do this._

 _~'You think so? Really?'~_

She glanced up at Link, who was digging into his share with outright relish. _Yes._

 _~'Try telling it to your thighs. Or better yet, your flabby arms.'~_ The voice was ripe with scorn. ~ _'You can't do anything right, can you?'~_

 _That's not true! I'll fix this!_ In her hands, she was shocked to realise that the Twinkie was nearly finished. She hadn't enjoyed a single part of it.

 _~'You really want to fix this?'~_

She didn't hesitate. _Yes!_

When it spoke next, the voice was quiet as a whisper. ~ _'Then you know what to do…'~_

* * *

Sadie was sitting at her desk, going through her notes just like any other morning, when she heard her name called. She glanced up in time to see her homeroom teacher waving her over. Frowning, she heaved herself up and approached her cautiously.

"Is everything alright, Tsujimura-sensei?" she asked, ensuring her tone was polite. It hitched a little at the end; she'd come to school with a sore throat that must have developed overnight.

Smiling pleasantly, Sensei shuffled the papers she was holding and patted the seat next to her. "Actually, I'm afraid not, Harper-san. I need to speak with you about your school performance."

Cold dread filled her. On top of everything, Sadie knew she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear. _Brace yourself._ "Have I been falling behind, Tsujimura-sensei?"

She shook her head. "No, that's not the issue here. It's more the quality of your work." Sifting through her desk, she pulled out a document and presented it to Sadie. "Look here. On our last pop quiz, you only barely passed overall. And that involved a fair bit of reasoning on my part. Harper-san," she said gently, patting her hand, "I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad. I just want you to see where you're going wrong so that we may organise some alternative measures, and help you get back on track. Normally, your grades are really quite good."

Sadie was still studying the paper, astonished at the amount of red writing and low marks present. _Did I really write all this?_

"Harper-san? Does that sound fine?"

Sadie blinked herself back into reality. "Oh… Yes, that's fine. Great. I'll, uh… study harder…"

Sensei was gazing at her with concern. "It's not about studying hard, Harper-san. It's about concentrating on the content that is relevant to the subject. It's no use if you just study everything and expect to see good results. Here, take this and read my notes; realise where you went wrong, and learn from it. If you feel you need further assistance, speak to me and we can arrange tutoring sessions. Okay, Harper-san?" Sadie glanced up, meeting her teacher's kind eyes. "I want you to succeed."

"Yeah," Sadie replied, the words barely a whisper. Her throat was still paining her. "Me too."

The rest of the morning passed in a less-than-pleasant blur, and before she knew it lunch came around and Momoi bounded into the room like clockwork. She was jolly as ever and accompanied by Himuro, who looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Sae-chan!" To Sadie's absolute surprise, Momoi threw her arms around her neck and grasped it tightly. "You disappeared on me yesterday!"

She smiled at her friend's antics and returned the hug. "Sorry about that, Momoi-chan. I just wasn't feeling well, you know…" She broke off when she felt the arms around her neck begin to tighten. "Uh, Momoi you can let go now."

Her voice was sweet as ever when she said, "Sae-chan, you left me alone… again… I thought I told you what would happen if you did that again?"

Beside them, Himuro sighed once and grasped the back of Momoi's uniform, yanking her back down into her seat. "Give the girl a break, Momoi-san."

Momoi huffed while Sadie breathing returned to normal. "Whatever, I'll let it go this one time. You ever run off like that again without telling me Sae-chan, and I'll seriously kill you, okay?" Then as if nothing had happened, she returned to her normal self quick as a switch. "So have you got lunch?"

Sadie adopted an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Momoi-chan. I was going to be late, so I couldn't."

There was a moment of silence. Then – "I take it back. I'm gonna kill her now."

"Momoi, seriously," Himuro admonished. "You need to chill."

She glowered at him. "And you need a friend. Don't take your loneliness out on me, Himuro-san."

Himuro's face turned pink at that. Sadie glanced at them both questioningly. "What are you talking about?"

"Himuro-san and Mura-kun are in a fight, dontcha know?" she supplied chirpily.

"We're not in a fight," he said defensively, crossing his arms.

Sadie sent him a questioning glance, and he let out a sigh. "Yesterday after you took off, we talked to him and found out what he said. To those girls. About you."

"Oh…" She looked away uncomfortably. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"What do _you_ have to be sorry for?" Momoi exclaimed, slapping the table angrily. "He's the bastard who doesn't have any feelings! I nearly killed him for that…"

Sadie shook her head and placed her hand over her friends'. "No Momoi, you shouldn't have!"

Beside her, Himuro snorted. "It's a bit late for that."

"What do you mean?" She glanced at Momoi, who was whistling softly and looking anywhere but at Sadie.

"I mean Little-Ripper-Junior over here nearly put Yosen's Ace out of commission yesterday. Permanently."

 _Oh, no…_ "Momoi, is that true?"

The girl shrugged, refusing to meet her eyes. "Yeah, what about it?"

"We talked about this! You can't draw too much attention to yourself!"

Momoi rolled her eyes. "Please, barely anyone noticed."

"It took three people to pull her off him," Himuro contradicted smartly. She glared at him.

Sadie threw her hands up. "Great. That's just… great. Did you get in trouble?"

"It's not a matter of if," he said with a small frown, "But how much."

"Can it, Himuro-san." There was clear warning in Momoi's voice. "Just 'cause you cut ties with Mura-kun yesterday…"

Sadie's eyebrows rose. "Cut ties? What's she talking about, Himuro-san?"

"I didn't 'cut ties' with him," Himuro muttered defensively. He refused to meet her eyes as he continued. "I just told him that what he said wasn't right, and that until he apologised I wasn't going to hang out him."

She frowned at that. "That's not like you, Himuro-san. You shouldn't have said such a thing. You two are friends; I don't want to come in between the two of you –"

"No," he interrupted firmly. "It's not right. Atsushi and I have been good friends for a while, mostly due to our mutual passion for basketball. But you have been part of that for a while now as well, Sadie-san. And as much as I respect and admire Atsushi, I cannot condone his recent behaviour. I'm sorry he's caused you so much trouble."

Feeling oddly touched by Himuro's admission, Sadie was temporarily lost for words. "Himuro-san… Thank you. There's no need for you to apologise for him."

"Yeah, why don't you just take a few steps back there, my friend," Momoi intercepted, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "That's my best friend you're talking to. Not yours."

Himuro's expression darkened. "If your little psycho-attack on _my_ friend yesterday didn't convince me of that, then I'm sure your constant reliance on her presence would."

"Don't get all high-and-mighty with me, _Muro-chin_ ," she sneered, "Else I'll have to get your old punching bag Mura-kun in here since you're obviously missing him _so_ much –"

"Okay, that's enough arguing!" Sadie exclaimed, but immediately regretted it. Her throat suddenly felt like it had a mini chainsaw attached. Breathing deep, she continued softly, "Let's just focus on the important thing. Momoi, how much trouble are we talking here?"

When only silence met her answer, she turned to Himuro and raised a brow. "Two week's detention, and a suspension warning."

Sadie groaned in response, rubbing her already aching head before turning to Momoi. "You _really_ shouldn't have done that…"

"What was I supposed to do?" she demanded heatedly. "The things he said! And he admitted it so shamelessly. _No one_ gets away with saying those kinds of things to my bestie – I don't care how big their appetite is!"

Sadie frowned in confusion. "I don't see what that has to do with anything…"

"Likewise… Still," Himuro conceded, "Momoi has a point."

"Damn right I do. Now can we please end this conversation? It's grating on my nerves," she muttered. "Sae-chan, you said you didn't pack any lunch right? You can share mine today."

"Oh… Actually, I did."

Momoi blinked. "Huh?"

Sadie dug around in her pack, grinned and pulled out a small lunchbox. "Just enough for me –"

She broke off suddenly, frowning at the strange feeling creeping up her chest. It was hot, a little searing… It felt like acid was working its way up her chest… She swallowed, trying to dispel the sensation. Instead, the acid flooded her mouth. Sadie coughed, clapping a hand over her mouth to prevent it from escaping. _What is this…?_

 _~'It's your punishment,'~_ the voice replied.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 _What? What are you talking about?_

That terrible laughter started up again as more acid entered her throat. Sadie frantically tried to swallow it back down, choking on the taste. ~ _'You broke the promise you made to yourself. To me. This is what happens when you go back on your word…'~_

She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on swallowing. _No… This isn't right… This is because of –_

 _~'You wanted to be beautiful, right? No matter what? Well, Sadie-girl, this is the cost. Suck it up, princess.'~_ It chuckled again _. ~'Literally.'~_

"Sae-chan?" Around her, Momoi and Himuro were sitting and gazing at her with concern. Momoi gripped the hand that was wrapped around her mouth like a seal. "What is it? Are you okay?"

When she just shook her head in response, Momoi tugged on her wrist; like a spring, she shot out of her chair and raced for the door, ignoring the shouts of 'Sae-chan!' and 'Wait!' that rang out from behind her. She had to get to a bathroom – she didn't know how much longer she could keep it in.

Not ten seconds later Sadie was bent over a toilet, coughing and retching. What came out was yellow and definitely acidic. Stomach acid? _Ugh… So gross…_ Eventually, the liquid left her mouth; using the tissue paper available, she wiped at her lips and focused on breathing. It was then that she processed the fact that she was in a public space. On all fours she checked the cubicles around her, noting with relief that they were empty. Only one set of familiar shoes were present…

Momoi was waiting for her when she stepped out of the cubicle, and when Sadie sent her a weary smile it was met with stoic countenance. She ignored the feeling of dread that arose as she rinsed her mouth and throat, breathing out tiredly when she was done. "Sorry Momoi, I don't know what got into me…"

"You don't?"

Sadie raised her bow at her friend's reflection. "No, I don't… That's never happened to me before."

Momoi shrugged. "It probably hasn't. But it had to happen eventually, right? What with the stress you're putting your body under."

Alarm bells went off; without meeting her eyes, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about –"

"Let's cut the bullshit right now. I know you're making yourself throw up after meals. I know you're starving yourself. I know –"

"No!" Sadie shouted, swinging around to face her friend. "You _don't_ know. You don't know what you're saying! You don't know anything!"

Momoi crossed her arms. "Please, save me the 'No-It-Wasn't-Me' number. I know exactly what I'm saying." When Sadie just shook her head mutely, she narrowed her eyes. "I can _see_ it, Sae-chan. Show me your hands."

Sadie blinked in confusion. "Why?"

Instead of answering, Momoi lunged forward and seized her right wrist; ignoring her struggles, she held Sadie's knuckles up to the light. " _That's_ why."

At first Sadie thought her friend had officially lost it. It wasn't until she blinked hard that she saw the small marks on the upper ridges of her hand. She swallowed hard, realising that she hadn't been able to hide a single thing from her friend. Momoi was completely aware of what she'd been doing – if not from the very beginning, then close to.

Momoi's next words confirmed Sadie's suspicion. "I've let this go on for long enough, Sae-chan. At first I thought it was just a 'finding-myself' thing, but I didn't think you'd take it this far. You have to stop this now, okay?" Momoi lowered their hands slowly, looking up at Sadie with light brown eyes that held a certain kind of urgency. Like if she didn't listen to her friend's warning, something bad would be sure to happen…

"I… I don't know… what you're talking about."

Momoi threw her hands in the air. "What the hell, Sae-chan? Why don't you just admit it? You're Bu–"

" _Shut up!"_ she screamed in English, making a dash for the door. When Momoi stepped in her way she didn't slow, barging right past her friend and out the door; dimly she could hear the sound of Momoi's body smacking against the tiles. _Get me out just get me out get me –_

Unfortunately, Momoi wasn't the only obstacle. She'd just charged out of the bathroom when she was met by Himuro, who frowned in concern and started towards her with long, ground-eating strides. Holding up a hand as if to ward him off, she stumbled backwards, then turned fully and ran down the hall. He called out to her once, but she didn't stop.

After having collected her bag from the classroom, Sadie made for the school entrance in the most complicated way she knew; twice she nearly ran straight into Momoi, who was running around the school like a madwoman, a bloodthirsty look in her eyes. Fortunately, she managed to avoid both Momoi and Himuro on the ground floor.

 _Un_ fortunately, she ran into another unforeseen problem.

"Ah, Sae-chin!" a voice rang from her right.

She stopped. Turned slowly. Standing only a few strides away was Murasakibara, and he looked extremely happy to see her. In two steps he closed the distance between them. "I'm glad to see you."

Sadie didn't know what to do with herself; she glanced around for help only to realise with sinking clarity that she was utterly alone. "H-hey Mura-kun, what are you up to?"

"Nothing!" he groaned loudly, causing her to jump. "I've just been wandering around eating potato chips, but I ran out just before so now I'm _really_ bored."

She frowned at that. "Why have you been wandering around, Mura-kun?"

Instantly his expression became sour. "After Momoi jumped me yesterday, she told me not to ever show my face in your classroom again or she'd bite my head off completely."

"Completely?" He nodded, pulling his shirt to the side and exposing a vivid bite mark on his shoulder. "Dear Lord…"

He nodded again. "So now I'm not allowed to come hang out with you anymore… Even Muro-chin's mad at me…"

Sadie quickly cast about for a way to make him feel better – and to end the conversation quickly. "Look, how about I have a talk to them? Tell them to think on it some more, I'm sure they'll come around…" _Maybe not so much for Momoi._ "Alright? Don't feel so bad."

"I feel bad 'cause I'm _hungry_ ," he sulked. His purple eyes settled on hers, all the hunger he felt reflected in them, causing her to squirm. "Say, Sae-chin, you got any food in your bag?"

"Uh…" _Lying on my homeroom desk._ "Sorry, I don't Mura-kun."

His eyes narrowed on her suspiciously. "Since when?"

"Pardon me?"

"Since when don't you carry food around?" he asked impatiently.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You always have good food on you," he griped. "That's why I hang out with you at lunch. Is this because you're mad about what I said yesterday?" A single purple brow lifted disdainfully. "Geez, girls are so touchy…"

That was it.

Smiling pleasantly, Sadie dug around in her bag and withdrew three hundred yen. "I'm really sorry, Mura-kun. Here, tell you what…" She drew closer to him and pointed at the vending machine on the opposite wall. "Take these three hundred yen as an apology. Go over there, buy yourself some chips –" she gripped the front of his jersey and yanked him down to her level, looking him dead in the eye with her crazy-little-sister expression "– and go choke on them."

Before he could so much as blink she released the material with a shove, and continued on her furious escape. This time there was no sign of Momoi or Himuro.

It wasn't until she arrived home to an empty house that she released the pent-up tension she'd been holding since lunch. Instead of heading straight up to her room, she paused on the bottom step at the sight of multiple envelopes on the dining room table. There was no sign of her father. She frowned and crept over to the table, quickly browsing their contents. Nearly all of them were from the taxation office.

Sadie picked up one of the opened documents and scanned it. From what she could gather, it was a response from the taxation office to an appeal lodged by her father to develop a tax payment plan. She noted with relief that they were open with the arrangement and went to put down the letter.

Until she saw the date the letter had been written. _Five months ago…_

Again she sifted through the papers, this time looking for a more recent entry; she found one on the top and quickly investigated.

It was a warning to maintain the arranged payment plan –

" _Sadie-girl, what are you doing home so early?"_

Sadie jumped and spun to face her father, realising too late that she still had the letter clutched in her hand. She frantically thought of an excuse to his question. _"Uh… We were just working on a group project in class and unfortunately none of my peers were at school. They said I could go home if I liked, so…"_

" _Well, I sent Link over to –"_ He halted, distracted by what she was holding. _"What are you doing with that, Sadie?"_

 _No use beating around the bush,_ she reasoned to herself. Taking a deep breath, she began, _"Dad, why are you on a payment plan with the taxation office?"_

At first he looked like he was about to deny her statement, but as he took in her resolute expression he gave in with a heavy sigh. _"Sadie-girl, you really don't need to know. I can handle this, alright?"_ When she just stared at him, he chuckled softly. _"Geez, you look so much like your mother when you do that… Alright, I'll tell you…"_

And he told her.

When he was finished, she sat back in the sofa and looked around the room – as though for a solution to their predicament. Because that's what it was. _"Link knew about all this?"_ He nodded. _"And you didn't think that you should mention this to me?"_

" _You've got enough on your plate."_

 _~'You can say that again.'~_

Sadie shook her head to clear it. _"Dad… You should've told me. I_ want _to help."_

" _And I don't need it," he rebutted. "Look Sadie, if it ever gets so bad that I have to call on you to help, then you can worry, alright?"_

Wince. _That smarts…_

" _But until then, just keep your nose where I tell you to keep it – in your own bowl."_ He smiled that cheery smile _. "I think if you actually bother looking, you'll find it's pretty full."_

 _~'Practically overflowing.'~_

 _Shut up,_ Sadie told the voice. _"Can you at least let me work my normal shifts again?"_

" _Nope. Now let it go. I don't want to talk any more on the matter, alright?"_ The firm set to his jaw settled it. She slumped and nodded.

" _I don't think Link's going to be very impressed with you,"_ he joked lightly. _"I'm going to get a very furious call when he realises he waited around the school for nothing."_

" _What do you mean? Why is Link going to my high school?"_

He scratched his chin. _"I was actually going to get you both to run an errand for me…"_

Sadie perked up at that, eager for an opportunity to help. _"Why don't I go and do it for you now, since I have the afternoon off? I'll use this to make it up to Link, otherwise he'll hold this against me later…"_

Her father considered her for a moment, and then that grin appeared again. _"That eager, huh? All right,"_ he conceded _. "I need you to pick up a new recipe from a fellow chef and friend a few blocks down. He owes me a favour, you see; I made sure he paid me back in kind."_

" _I don't doubt it,"_ she muttered.

" _It's a pretty big job, Sadie-girl,"_ he warned. _"That's why I wanted both you and Link to go together. Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?"_

She scoffed in response _. "Dad, have you ever known me to let you down? This'll be a piece of cake…"_

 _I just had to say it._

Twenty-five minutes later found Sadie standing in the back room of a noodle shop, beginning to realise just how much this _wasn't_ going to be a piece of cake. Four crates were stacked on top of each other, some containing an assortment of strange-looking vegetables and others packed high with herbs and spices. She gulped, wondering how in the world she was going to get all this home in one piece.

Once again, the shop owner asked, "Are you _sure_ you'll be alright with this, little chef?"

Sadie snapped back to reality. "Oh… Yes, I'm pretty strong for a girl; I'm sure I'll be fine… It's just… I thought by recipe he meant a _slip of paper_ or something?"

The man gave her a weird look. "What's that gonna do?"

"Uh… You know, tell you what to do?"

The man laughed at that, slapping his thigh in mirth. "Ah, you have much to learn, little chef."

Sadie frowned at him. "Why do you call me that?"

"What?"

"Little chef," she repeated slowly.

He grinned at her, and in his eyes she saw something remarkably close to respect. "Because you're _Itamae_ -san's daughter, little chef."

Sadie was shocked at the high praise. _He must really respect my Dad…_

" _Well, I sure as hell don't!"_ she exclaimed angrily as she nearly tripped over the gutter, earning herself a few strange looks from passers-by. _"Making me walk all this way with this much stuff… Seriously…"_

When she finally reached the front door of her house, she plonked the boxes down and huffed, wondering where the strength in her arms had gone. Inside she could hear raised voices; her father, Link and her mother were in the kitchen. Probably joking about something… _Screw it, they can come and help me._

Just as she barged through the door, she picked up the tail end of their loud conversation.

"… are you completely sure about this, Link? I mean, it's Sadie _-_ chan; she wouldn't do something so…"

"I'm sure," he responded firmly. "She said to check her hands for it. There's no mistake."

Just then, her father turned and saw her frozen form in the doorway. _"Sadie-girl, you're back… Could you come in here for a minute?"_

Sadie didn't move. _What had they been talking about…?_

 _~'I don't think you want to do that.'~_

Kimiko turned and smiled, but something odd at the edges betrayed her. "Sadie-chan? Are you coming in?"

Sadie shook her head. _I definitely don't want to go in there._

An impatient grunt came from Link, and without hesitation he started for her, long legs eating up the distance. She stood rooted to the spot; somehow she couldn't seem to form a single coherent thought, let alone move. Strong fingers gripped her forearm and dragged her fully into the house. The boxes were left outside, forgotten.

" _What's this shit I'm hearing about you starving yourself? Huh?"_

" _I… Um, I…"_

" _You've been skipping meals? The low-carb diet wasn't enough for you?"_

Her father stepped forward. _"Stop it, Link. Let her explain."_ He stared hard at Link until he released her arm, then smiled at Sadie. _"Alright… Sadie-girl, explain this misunderstanding to me. Properly."_

" _I… I…"_ She gulped and closed her mouth.

His calm expression slowly morphed into confusion the longer the silence continued. Feeling helpless under his gaze, Sadie turned to Link with a pleading expression, silently begging him to help her. _Please, Link…!_

Face cold, his voice was just as icy as he said, _"That's not all."_

" _What do you mean?"_ her father asked before she could interrupt.

Her brother refused to meet her eyes as he blew her life apart. _"She's Bulimic."_

"What?!" her mother sputtered, eyes horrified as they darted between the siblings.

" _It's true."_

Her father shook his head. _"No, that's not right. It can't be."_

Tears sprung to her eyes.

" _Check her hands,"_ Link supplied, turning away with crossed arms. He still refused to look at her.

He hesitated, as though he didn't want to see the evidence. When he didn't budge, Kimiko stalked over and grabbed Sadie's right wrist, who stood like a statue as the events rolled out. She held Sadie's hand up to the light, gasping when she caught sight of the ridges and scars; as though she'd woken from a trance, Sadie snatched her wrist back and cradled it to her chest.

 _It's none of their business._

"Sadie-chan…" She trailed off and covered her mouth.

Suddenly, her father spoke. _"How long has this been going on for?"_ He glanced at Link for an explanation, who just shrugged.

" _I don't know. A couple months, by the looks of those scars."_

" _My God,"_ he breathed, rubbing away a growing headache. _"I can't believe… Of all people…"_ He glanced up and met her eyes, and Sadie flinched at the fierceness that was there. _"Did someone make you feel like you had to do this to yourself?"_ She shook her head. _"Don't lie to me!"_ Another flinch. _"Someone did something to you, didn't they?"_

The voice in her head snickered. _~'Guilty…'~_

" _Didn't they?!"_

" _No,"_ she whispered.

" _Don't lie to me, Sadie! Tell the truth!"_

" _Dad,"_ Link suddenly intervened. _"Cool it a little, the neighbours will hear."_

Her father shook his head at the unfamiliar girl in front of him. _"My daughter… is doing this… to herself… Why, Sadie-girl?"_

Aaaaaand she was done.

Sadie promptly burst into tears, covering her face with her hands as her body convulsed with sobs. She made a right mess of herself there in the living room with both her parents and brother staring dumbfounded. While she attempted to get control of her emotions, she thought that nothing in the world could be more humiliating than this moment.

She would rather have stood naked in front of a crowd than expose her true feelings this way.

" _Sadie, I…"_

When her father started for her, she held up a hand and backed away. _"Stop. P-please…"_

" _Talk to me,"_ he pleaded wildly. His dark eyes were sad and helpless.

" _It's none of your b-business! This h-has… nothing to d-do with you!"_

" _You're my daughter! Of course it has to do with me!"_ He hissed out a frustrated breath. _"What if your mother were here? Would it have something to do with her?"_

Link's voice rang out loud and clear. _"Dad! That's enough!"_ Her father turned his furious eyes on Link; he glanced meaningfully at Kimiko, who was staring awkwardly at the floor. _She's my mother, too,_ Sadie realised. _This must be hard for her._

Evidently her father was thinking along the same lines, because he exhaled raggedly and visibly sought calm. Finally, he met Sadie's eyes with firm resolution. _"I won't let this go on. No child of mine will find themselves facing their demons alone."_ He straightened and announced, _"From now on, you're going to stay under this roof twenty-four-seven, where I can keep an eye on you. Do you understand, Sadie? That means I'm going to be pulling you out of high school, effective immediately."_

 **Author's note:**

I know what you're thinking.

"But how will Sae-chan and Mura-kun interact with each other if she doesn't attend high school?!"

You will find out… in the next chapter ;)

Thanks to my readers for sticking with me – keep an eye out for the next chapter, which will be very soon!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

 _~'Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, huh?'~_

 _Shut up._

 _~'Pfft, is that any way to talk to your bestie?'~_

Sadie sniffed, rubbing her nose. _You're not my best friend._

 _~'You're right about that. I'm your_ only _friend.'~_ The voice laughed derisively.

 _Dammit, leave me alone –!_

"Sadie! Order up!"

Her father's sharp tone snapped her back into reality. Leaving the dish she'd been cleaning in the sink, she strode to the food counter and positioned the three platters of food in her arms. Across the bench, his piercing eyes assessed her face and appearance with all the precision of a brain surgeon.

She sighed once. _"What?"_

" _What?"_

" _Why are you staring at me?"_ she snapped.

" _Why are you getting angry with me?"_ he retorted, crossing his arms.

Sadie ground her teeth and tried to keep her tone even. _"Try having your whole family watch_ your _every move for three days straight and see how_ you _feel."_

" _Well this wouldn't happen if you didn't do irresponsible things that caused you harm."_

" _It also wouldn't happen if people kept their noses out of other people's business!"_

" _Sadie –"_

"Sadie-chan," her mother interrupted, touching her elbow gently, "The food's getting cold. You'd better take it out to the table."

Sadie nodded to her once and turned away, ignoring the furious whispers that started up in her wake – which had apparently been the trend for the past three days. Thanks to Momoi, Link was no longer talking to her; in fact, no one had seen him all day. After mumbling some excuse about car parts, he'd taken off this morning and hadn't left a message since. Her father didn't seem to be worried, but Sadie had been envisioning all sorts of creative explanations to herself.

Still, she planted a firm smile on her face as she placed the food in front of their respective owners, and thanked them for their patronage. She was turning away when one of them said, "Excuse me, I ordered a side of rice with my dumplings?"

"Oh, of course, sir," she placated softly, bowing a little. "I'll be right back with your rice."

"Hmph," was all he replied.

But not two minutes after that problem had been resolved, another customer complained that they hadn't received any dipping sauce. Every minute, more and more customers were piling in, adding to the work load. Swallowing her frustration, Sadie made her way to the back kitchen, where her father was busy slicing meat strips.

" _Dad, you forgot the dipping sauce for table thirty-two."_

" _Oh,"_ her father replied without looking. _"It's in that container over there. Pour some for me, would you Sadie-girl?"_

" _Sure…"_ Sadie frowned uncertainly at the mess. _"Do you need a hand?"_

" _Nope."_

She shrugged and took out the customer's dipping sauce, apologising gracefully as she did. The woman didn't say anything as Sadie placed the bowl in front of her, but she had a firm scowl on her face as she picked up her napkin. Sadie smiled and apologised again. _The customer must walk away satisfied…_

A shout from the corner table drew the majority of the café's attention. "Excuse me! How much longer is my food going to take?"

Before Sadie could reply, Kimiko was there, bowing low and murmuring apologies in that soft voice of hers. "I'm so sorry for the wait, sir. I can assure you that your order is on the way. May I get you a drink while you wait?"

The man agreed with a reluctant nod, and Kimiko hurried behind the bar – Sadie followed, worried at the growing amount of irritated glanced directed their way. She leaned over the counter and said to her mother, "I'm going to help Dad. Is that alright?"

"Oh, please do," she breathed gratefully. "We can't afford any more disgruntled customers; at the rate he's going, they're going to start walking out on us."

"Alright," Sadie agreed, removing her apron. "I'll go pick up the pace. Will you be alright by yourself out here?"

"Yes, yes. Go now." She made a shooing motion.

In the kitchen, her father was more stressed than she'd seen him before. He was slicing meat and vegetables at an astounding rate, throwing them into one of the three large noodle bowls that were immersed in flames. In the corner, two pots of noodles on the six-burner stove were boiling over; Sadie decided to start there.

Fixing her blonde hair into a tight bun, she scrubbed her hands before hurriedly bolting to lift the lids off the pots. The steam nearly made her cough. _Rookie error._

" _Sadie-girl, what are you doing?"_

" _Helping you out,"_ she replied distractedly as she drained the noodles. _"I hope you've got that soup ready."_

 _He made his way over to the mixing bowls and began stirring the contents. "I told you I was fine. Go help your mother – ARGH!"_

Sadie glanced up to see a large lick of fire sizzle his raised arm. Dropping the strainer on the bench, she snagged the nearest towel and drenched it with cold water. In the next breath she was across the room and wrapping the cloth around his vividly red forearm. _"Are you okay? Dad? Did it get you anywhere else?"_ When she saw he wasn't paying any attention to her, she shook him hard. _"Oi! Are you listening to me?"_

" _The n-noodles,"_ he choked out, pointing at the raging inferno above her. _"S-save the noodles, Sadie-g-girl!"_

She didn't stop to question him; one moment she was crouched over her father and the next she was up and slipping on a pair of thick gloves. Without checking the state of what was inside, she seized the nearest bowl and began swirling. The two mixing bowls beside her were covered in smoke, so she quickly adjusted the temperature and tossed them as well. In her peripheral vision she spotted a bottle of soy sauce; snatching it up, she added it to the mixing bowl containing the honey-soy-chicken ingredients and tossed it with her left hand. With her right she frantically seized the knife her father had been using moments before and finished chopping up the shallots before throwing them into the sweet-chilli-pork bowl.

Before long the smoking eased, and after she finished adding the proper ingredients, Sadie thanked her lucky stars when she saw everything hadn't come out over-cooked. It was then she remembered the noodles cooling on the opposite bench. _Crap!_ Removing her gloves, she hurried over to the benchtop and ran boiling water through the drying noodles. Only when they were at a satisfying consistency did she add them to the glass bowls, pouring a saucy mixture from the three mixing bowls over each. She placed the three bowls on plates with complimentary spring rolls and practically threw them on top of the serving counter.

When she turned to survey the destruction, Sadie realised her father was staring at her with wide, shocked eyes. She blew out a breath and wiped her forehead. _"How's your arm?"_

He blinked. _"F-fine."_

" _Are you sure about that? It didn't look too good when I saw it a moment ago. Maybe you should go to the hospital…"_

" _Are you kidding?"_ he sputtered incredulously. _"I've got a full house out there, Sadie-girl. We gotta feed all those mouths. Come on,"_ he growled, fixing his features into a mask of determination. _"Let's serve these hungry people the best damn food they've ever tasted."_

Sighing at his stubbornness, Sadie worked with him to knock over the large amount of orders lined up, and within an hour every customer in the café was stuffed to the brim and humming with satisfaction. Kimiko surveyed the scene with approval. "Sadie-chan, thank you so much for your efforts. We really would have been swamped without you today."

Her father sniffed indignantly at that, but Sadie smiled gratefully at her mother. "It's alright. We handled it together, didn't we?"

"Nah, you were pretty handy, Sadie-girl," he admitted with a small grin. "I wouldn't be able to handle that many orders myself on a good day." Sadie couldn't help the surge of pride that lit her chest at his admission, or the flush that coloured her cheeks. 

The bell dinged again; clearly on auto-pilot, Kimiko turned and greeted, "Welcome! Please take a seat and I will serve –" She broke off when the realised who had walked through the door. "Oh, hello Link-kun."

"Where the heck have you been?" her father asked with a glower.

"Out," Link replied, demeanour suspiciously aloof.

"Well we needed you here. An extra pair of hands would've brought in a few more customers."

Link scowled. "I do have a life, you know."

"Yeah, but as long as you're living under my roof, you'll earn your stay and do your part when we need you," her father decreed ominously.

"That's enough, Andrew," Kimiko placated. "We managed without him just fine. Link, would you mind helping me with these plates for a moment? The next rush won't be too far away…"

Despite the displeasure his expression belied, Link obediently began to help his mother collect and stack the plates as people gradually began to leave the shop. Kimiko bowed them out, thanking them profusely; they all left with smiles on their faces. Sadie also had a small, proud smirk on her face – after all, not just anyone could manage so many orders in one go – but it quickly faded when she saw the dishes piled on the bench.

"Oh…"

"'Oh' is correct," her father sighed.

"Can we just… do it later?"

"Nope," he replied. "Like your mother said, we haven't got long until the dinner crowd comes in. We'd better make a start on them before stocking up the food stores. I think we're running low on spiced chicken…"

Link snorted as the last customer walked out. "You mean you're running low on intel – _Who the hell is that?"_

As one, their heads turned to see an abnormally large figure standing by the shop window – and by 'standing by' she meant face and hands fully pressed up against the glass. Wide purple eyes were gazing right at her with an intensity that actually made her back up a step.

 _Oh Lord, please don't do this to me…_

"Do you know that boy, Sadie-chan?" Kimiko hesitantly asked.

Sadie swallowed. "Uh… Not really?"

Link scowled and crossed his arms. "Well he seems to know you."

"Maybe he's just lost?"

"I seriously doubt that. Is he just gonna stand there?"

"He certainly looks like he doesn't want to move," her father chimed in.

 _I gotta do something, quick._ "Let me just… go and see what he wants?" Did she sound like she was asking for permission?

Still, she waited for her father's nod of agreement before she hastened to the door. Murasakibara met her there – both their hands reached for the door at the same time. When she hesitated, he yanked it wide, his large girth filling the doorway and then some.

"Sae-chin, why weren't you at school today?" he asked in that rumbling voice that made her shiver a little. Had it always sounded so deep and husky? _No, that's just me being weird._

"Uh…" She glanced back to see her brother's brow raised and a knowing smirk on her father's face. _Definitely need to take this outside._ "Hey Mura-kun, back up for a second…"

But he just continued to stare at her with a strange look on his face. She sighed again and tried ushering him further out the door, but he barely noticed her efforts. Finally, she was able to get the door closed, and she breathed out a small sigh of relief before turning to face him. "Did you need something, Mura-kun?"

He scrubbed the back of his head and glanced away, features turning annoyed. "Muro-chin won't hang out with me until I apologise to you."

"Oh…" Sadie tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. "Sorry, I didn't get a chance to talk to him about that…"

He grunted and folded his arms, face set in a firm glower. "I don't care about him. It's the tiny-crazy-girl who's been really annoying."

 _Uh-oh…_ "You mean Momoi-chan? What's she been doing?"

"Really annoying stuff," he grumbled, clearly reluctant to elaborate. His face turned a faint shade of pink. "She said that I'm her 'nemesis'… Whatever that means…"

Sadie shook her head at that. "Just ignore her for now, alright? I'll tell her to quit it." There was a moment of awkward silence. "That still doesn't explain why you're here, Mura-kun…"

"I think I have to apologise to you, but I _don't_ think I have to," he muttered sullenly, gazing at her with a slight pout to his mouth.

She blinked, momentarily stumped at the contradictory statement. "Uh… So you do or you don't?"

"I won't," he stated firmly, still pouting slightly. "You said some cruel things to me too, you know."

"Oh…" She'd almost forgotten about that. _Awkward…_ "Well, I really am sorry about what I said to you about… um… choking on your chips. I was just upset…"

"Exactly. So why should I have to apologise?" he grumbled.

Sadie exhaled, tired of this conversation already. "You don't, Mura-kun. Just give it a few more days and I'm sure they'll start talking to you again." She gestured at the shop behind her. "Is that all you wanted to say? I'm afraid I'm really busy at the moment; there's lots to do at work, so…"

When he declined to reply, she gave a small salute and turned to leave.

"When are you gonna be at school again?" he suddenly asked in a low voice.

She stilled, momentarily stumped, and turned to face him; his head was lowered, as though embarrassed of his outburst. _This boy is such a contradiction!_

"Honestly Mura-kun, I don't understand you!" she huffed, hands on hips. "You came all the way here to tell me you're not apologetic in the least for your behaviour at school, and then ask me when I plan on coming back?" When he just glared at the ground, she asked, "Why is this so important?"

"Because, I…" He uttered something unintelligible and scrubbed the back of his head.

She blinked up at him. "Because you… What?"

Still refusing to meet her eyes, he mumbled, "I miss Sae-chin's cooking. I want to eat your food again…"

"… That's all?"

It was his turn to blink repeatedly. "Yeah…"

"You just want to eat the food I bake? Is that right?"

"Yep, that's right." His hands twitched. For the first time Sadie noted that they were empty; usually they would be clutching a packet or two of potato chips. "So will you be back tomorrow?"

She shook her head hopelessly at him, then giggled. "Mura-kun, you're so…" _Simple._ "Interesting. You really want my food that badly?" He nodded emphatically, and his purple eyes were full of uncharacteristic anticipation when they met hers. "Do you have money for it?"

His features quickly turned confused, as though he hadn't expected the question. "Money…? Why?"

"The food I make here doesn't come free," she explained slowly, as though conversing with a child. "So unless you pay for it, I'm afraid I won't be able to give you any."

He frowned as though this concept was a new and perplexing one. While they stood there in silence, waiting for the purple giant to come to terms with reality, she heard a knock on the window behind her. It was Link, glancing suspiciously between the two of them and beckoning her to return to the shop. Sadie then realised that people were already beginning to trickle into the restaurant for the all-consuming dinner-time rush.

She nodded to her brother and once again faced Yosen's basketball ace; he was still lost in thought when she said, "I'm sorry Mura-kun, but I'm going to have to save this conversation for another time. I have to get back now." His expression darkened, and she hastily amended, "Tomorrow, maybe? I'll give Himuro-san a call tonight; I'm sure things will lighten up for you both soon."

But as she turned away, a very large hand – paw? – seized her arm and halted the movement. "Sae-chin, don't move for a second."

She barely managed to sputter a protest before he was strolling past her, rudely knocking aside incoming customers to enter the shop. Her features contorted into a mask of dismay when he walked right up to her father, dwarfing his well-built, six-four frame, and began casually conversing with him. Link immediately stalked over and inserted himself between them, but her father pointedly pushed him aside, murmuring something indistinct before turning back to Murasakibara. Sadie watched as he nodded along with whatever the purple giant was saying, replying to questions every now and then. At one point he scrubbed his head and chuckled at something Mura-kun had said, as though laughing at a child who suddenly showed surprising intelligence.

 _~Are you just going to stand there gaping like a fish?~_

 _Right._

Sadie quickly got with the program and hastened into the shop, ignoring the questioning glances from customers as she went by. She'd just reached her family when her father slapped the larger boy on the back, as though sealing some sort of pact.

"What's going on?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, I'd like to know that, too," Link agreed, glaring at the exchange happening before him.

Murasakibara tilted his head to glance at her – there was a look in his eyes that made her slightly uneasy, but it was her father who slowly explained, "Murasakibara-kun here has just brought it to my attention that he is very fond of your cooking, Sadie-girl."

When he didn't elaborate, she raised a questioning brow. "That's nice… Is there a reason this is important?"

Her father chuckled fondly with a knowing look in his brown eyes. "Well, he's just offered himself up as a kind of sacrifice so that he's guaranteed a taste of it every day." He smiled that cheerful smile. "Isn't that great?"

"What?!" the siblings exclaimed together.

"You heard me." He smiled calmly as they began to sputter protests.

"But –"

"Dad, what the hell are you –"

"Totally out of the _question_ –"

"This crazy giant –?"

"That's _slave labour_ –"

He frowned at that. "Hey now, I think that's a little over the top. He's still getting something out of this, isn't that right, Murasakibara-kun?"

The basketball giant picked at his ear in response and muttered, "You're too loud… So annoying…"

Beside her, Link began to inflate with anger. _I need to find a way to resolve this quickly._ "Dad, I don't think this is a good idea _at all_ –"

"Order up!" her mother bellowed, glaring at them when she noticed their lack of productivity.

"I think you'd better take that one, Sadie-girl. I've got some stuff to take care of here." He patted her on the arm.

"But Dad, I don't – this is too sudden!"

"No, it's not," he reassured. "He's just gonna be working here from now on. After-school work."

Sadie glanced up questioningly. "But Mura-kun, isn't basketball practice starting up again soon? That's going to take up your afternoons. What about your homework?"

He shrugged carelessly. "Nah, basketball doesn't start up for a while. Muro-chin tries to make me go early, but I don't go if I don't want. There's not much to practice I have to practice, anyway; I'm good enough that not many people can take me on." He stated it like fact, appearing bored with the conversation.

Beside her, Link's features turned from one of resentment to surprise as though he'd just realised something. "That's where I know you from… You're the Generation of Miracles Centre, Murasakibara!"

Andrew scowled at his son's strange outburst. "The miracle of what?"

"I hate that title," he muttered to no one in particular.

But Link was shaking his head in confusion at something. "I don't get it. Why would you want to work in a café? Shouldn't you be training for National's or something?"

"Restaurant," his father corrected, just as Murasakibara shrugged carelessly. "I like Sae-chin's food."

His brow twitched once. "Yeah, we got that part. But why are you wasting your time here?"

"Because I like Sae-chin's _food_ ," the purple-haired boy emphasised with growing impatience.

Link's own patience was quickly depleting. "Yes, I know! But _why_ –?"

"ORDER UP!"

"Sadie-girl, go get started on the food, please," her father ordered firmly.

Sadie threw her hands in the air. "Fine! But I'm telling you, this is a waste of time!"

She turned and stalked into the kitchen, taking note of the mess, the already fast-piling orders on the counter, and trying not to think about what her father had just signed her up for. Like the work itself wasn't stressful enough, she now had to worry about a giant food-fanatic breathing down her neck constantly. She sighed, exhausted. _Why me?_

 _~'Oh please,'~_ the voice said derisively. _~'Like this isn't your every twisted fantasy brought to life.'~_

 _You're wrong!_ Sadie insisted.

 _~'Yeah, Yeah. Whatever. You don't need to play dumb with me; I'm you, remember? Everything that goes on in your head, I'm aware of.'~_ It chuckled once, making her shiver. _~'Let's see how long you can last before you completely lose it, shall we?'~_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

That night, before she went to sleep, Sadie checked the cell phone she'd steadfastly refused to acknowledge for three days. Half expecting there to be messages piled up, she was surprised to see her inbox completely empty. She chuckled once, bitterly. _So, she's not at all sorry for ratting me out, huh? Not that I'd expect her to be contrite…_

 _~'Because you're friend's a complete nutcase.'~_

She stiffened at the words, but refused to acknowledge the voice. Snapping her phone shut, she laid her head down on the pillow and tried to clear her mind.

Which worked out similarly to Mura-kun eating a salad.

Sadie sighed and gave up, instead reflecting upon the strange events of the afternoon. She recalled the determined look in his eyes when he realised she wasn't going to be attending school – and the bold decision of asking her father for work. Slave work… _Mura-kun wants to eat my food that badly…?_

It was just so confusing! One moment he was pouty like a child and wanting nothing more to do with her, and the next he decided it was a good idea to spend almost every afternoon – and weekend – working together with her. _The boy is a walking contradiction,_ she resolved. And knowing how bad his grades were already only served to make her even more determined to convince her father of his mistake.

 _~'Don't worry, sweetie,'~_ the voice said cooingly, _~'It's only for your cooking. Don't overthink it.'~_

She actually opened her mouth to respond to the taunt, but closed it when she realised there was no way to rebuke the statement. Doubt crept in and, unbidden, memories returned of Mura-kun's words during school.

 _"You always have good food on you… That's why I hang out with you at lunch."_

 _Yeah, well,_ she thought bitterly as she rolled onto her side, _Y_ _our company isn't exactly what I'd call 'pleasurable' either, you lazy, droopy-eyed giant._ Sadie paused as an idea came to her. _I won't even have to speak to Dad about firing you… Because your own laziness will get the job done for me._

Feeling much more at ease, Sadie closed her eyes and finally found sleep.

* * *

 _Early morning starts are a special kind of hell,_ Sadie realised the next morning. As she entered the shop through the back, she smothered a yawn – and another. Then one more. She had a whole dessert and savoury bake to get through, and she was operating on four hours sleep…

 _This calls for some serious caffeine._

Sadie thought for a moment, and then raided the small fridge beside the chopping bench, emerging victorious with an energy drink from her father's not-so-secret caffeine supply. _Guess Dad was pretty exhausted after all, huh… I wish he had asked me for help._ A few sips later and she was back in the zone.

She glanced up at the clock, which read five o'clock; she had approximately two and a half hours before the morning customers would start trickling in for coffee and light snacks, and then after that would be the breakfast rush. Which meant savoury items were to be baked first before quickly moving on to the sweets for the afternoon customers. It was going to be a busy day; but before all that, there was one important ingredient she needed…

Music.

This morning she was feeling more of a tranquil vibe – something that was pleasant to listen to, but wouldn't distract her from her tasks. Because despite what many people believed, making good food involved a positive and constructive mental attitude. Which meant a nice Studio Ghibli piano playlist would do just perfectly. As the opening notes floated through the room, Sadie immediately felt herself settle.

 _Alright, let's do this!_

Slapping both cheeks, Sadie immediately began to prep her work station, firing up the stove-tops and ovens. Although they were a restaurant, they also sold products from a take-away food cabinet, which Sadie was – as of a few days ago – solely responsible for. Once upon a time, back before Link left home, she had worked with her father to create the most beautiful American-style cakes and slices to sell. People were continuously surprised and delighted by the treats they had cooked up together, and half of the takings for each day were items that were bought from their precious take-away cabinet. While starting on the pastries, she recalled with wistful clarity the joy her father had every day when they worked together in the morning before school, and a few hours afterwards. One time she made a white-chocolate and passionfruit tart all by herself, and he had immediately put it on the top shelf, right in the middle where only the most popular cakes sold. Sadie had been beside herself with happiness and pride.

 _~'And now your Daddy can barely look you in the eye. How proud he must be…'~_

The knife slipped in her grasp; it scored her finger, and the sharp pain made her gasp in alarm. At once she rushed to rinse the wound with water, digging around underneath the sink for the first-aid kit. She cursed to herself. _Dammit, you made me lose focus. Why couldn't you just stay quiet? Huh?_ She waited for a response, but was left puzzled when none came. _Oi! Why're you so silent all of a sudden?_

Still there was no reply, but instead of pursuing the issue, Sadie let it slide with a shrug. Whatever moments of peace she could get to herself were always more than welcome.

Wound treated, Sadie resumed her bake, and for the rest of the morning, she didn't hear a single peep from the voice in her head.

Later that day, just after the lunch-time rush, Sadie was just finishing stocking up the cabinet when she happened to glance out the shop windows – and spotted Link making his way across the street three blocks away. She squinted to catch a better look; he was heading away from the shop, in the direction of what looked to be a small arcade. Sadie frowned at that, wondering what he could possibly be doing… But suddenly, he stopped in front of a pole and waited.

 _What in the…_

He waited there for what seemed like ages; at one point, Kimiko called out to Sadie to get back to work, and even when she came back from the kitchen he was still standing in that one place. Sadie waited a little longer, hoping for something to happen so she could at least have a _clue_ –

"Sadie-chan! What are you doing over there?" her mother called out – again. You have work to do, don't just stand around spacing out."

"Hai," Sadie sighed, and was about to move away when it happened. From the street, a small, hooded figure approached Link. When he caught sight of the person, he immediately straightened – Sadie couldn't exactly make out his expression, but he didn't seem overly happy to see them. _Huh. Guess that rules out my theory of a secret lover…_ So then, who would he be meeting at a time like this, and for what purpose…?

They conversed together for a moment, and then made their way into the arcade. As they walked away, she picked up a few more details about the hooded figure; such as the fact that they were wearing a skirt and high socks with black shoes. _A high school student!_ She looked harder, trying to make out more… _Black skirt with a single white stripe. Black socks… Yosen. This person goes to my school._

Sadie's suspicions sky-rocketed. She desperately wanted to follow him and find out what – _who_ – he was hiding, but with her duties in the shop it was impossible. Not to mention that her father had forbidden her from participating in any outside activities… _Dammit!_ How was she going to learn anything like this?

"Sadie!"

She snapped to attention under her mother's sharp tone. "H-Hai!"

* * *

" _Hey, Sadie-girl."_

Sadie glanced up from what she was doing to see her father standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He was smiling pleasantly, but there was a strange tilt to his smile that hadn't always been there. _Not since…_ She shook her head and put it out of her mind, returning her father's strained smile with a notably cheery one. _"Hey Dad, what's up? Where've you been all day?"_ Usually he was right in here with her to lessen the workload. Thus, she'd been responsible for taking orders as well as making up products for the cabinet… _Lazy old man._

He scrubbed his head and his grin became a little sheepish. _"Uh, yeah, sorry about that… I had a lot of paperwork to get through today."_

Immediately Sadie was ashamed. Seriously, when would she ever learn to stop underestimating her father? _"Right, sorry. I didn't realise it was so important."_

He shrugged. _"It's not, really. But I suppose if we want to keep the important stuff going –"_ he gestured around him _"– We gotta get the hard stuff over with, yeah?"_

" _Yeah."_ She cocked her head. _"So if you have stuff to do then why did you come?"_

" _Oh, well… I was just checking up on you, I suppose."_ He chuckled self-consciously as the smile quickly melted off Sadie's face – to be replaced with stony indignation. _"Have you had a break today?"_

" _Yes,"_ she replied shortly.

" _Is that so… That's good then."_ When he didn't say anything else, she asked shortly, _"Is that all?"_

He studied her face, noting the quiet fury in her eyes, and let out a tired breath. _"Sadie, I'm sorry it has to be this way. I never wanted this."_

Sadie threw down the potato-peeler she was holding and faced him with one hand on the bench – bracing her. _"Really? Are you sure about that?"_

" _What does that mean?"_

" _Well, you_ are _getting everything you wanted, right?"_ She gestured around her without taking her eyes from his. _"I'm here, baking and not doing anything you aren't one-hundred per cent aware of. Link is back home, working for you again and staying out of trouble –"_ she broke off when she recalled seeing him creeping around with that high-school girl _"– Although even then, I don't know if that's the complete truth. Isn't that the way you've wanted it since we moved here?"_

While she spoke, her father crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the door. _"That's not it. I don't want to hold any of my children back from pursuing their dreams."_

She scoffed once, turning away to pick up the peeler again. _"Isn't that the same as preventing them from making mistakes? From discovering themselves, and learning about their own flaws and limits?"_

Abruptly, he shrugged away from the door and stalked over to her. She glared at him as he reached forward to snag her arm, locking it in a tight grip that betrayed the tension he was feeling from her words. With deliberate slowness, he asked, _"Are you seriously trying to justify what you were doing to yourself as a_ good _thing?"_

" _No,"_ she grated _, "I'm not. But I am saying that I didn't want your interference. You shouldn't have gotten involved."_

His hand loosened, then fell away to rest by his side. _"So you're saying… that I should have just stood by as you wasted away to nothing?"_ He ran a shaking hand over his face, and when he spoke next, his voice was ragged. _"As if I hadn't already done that. As if I didn't_ notice _, all this time… As if I couldn't see what you were becoming right in front of my eyes. I… should have…"_

" _Hey,"_ Sadie interrupted, suddenly alarmed at the face her father was making. _"Hey. Dad, it's alright."_ But when he just gazed unseeingly at something behind her, she took action by grabbing at his shirt and shaking him hard, once. _"Old man! Don't ignore me!"_ Finally, those brown eyes met hers, but… they were all wrong. Sadie noted with growing dismay that they were completely devoid of their usual cheeriness, now filled with a terrible sadness that ate at her. With a sinking sensation in her stomach, she realised something that made her want to throw up.

 _I did this… I put that look back in his eyes._

 _~'Oh, such a shame… And you worked so hard to get rid of it the first time. What are you going to do now_ , Sadie-girl _?'~_

Sadie stilled. _It's back…_

 _~'Sweetheart, I never left.'~_

For a moment, she puzzled over that, wondering why it had stayed silent all this time, but then quickly pushed it to the back of her mind; her father was waiting for her response. And now more than ever she felt in her gut it was important to reassure him.

" _Dad, you can't control everything about me. There are some things that… even you, who have tried your best to keep us together as a family for this long, can't pick up. Especially since I was trying my hardest to..."_ Suddenly feeling terribly exposed, Sadie took a gulping breath and tried again. _"I'm sorry I made you feel this way. I know it's my fault. But I don't want you to worry anymore. I will fix this, okay? I'll fix all of it, so don't worry."_

Her father studied her, taking in the trembling upper-lip and the way her fingers were twisting together from tension, and sighed before dragging her into his arms. _"Stop blaming yourself for everything, Sadie. It's not all your fault."_

She nodded, then chuckled. _"What's funny?"_

" _I don't know,"_ she replied with another giggle. _"I guess it's just… I really am a lot like you, you know? We both keep blaming ourselves so much…"_

He thought for a moment, and then echoed her laugh. _"Yeah, I guess you're right about that."_

A sniffle from the doorway brought both their heads around; Kimiko was standing at the entrance to the kitchen with a napkin clasped in one hand and the other covering her mouth. Evidently she had heard, if not all, then most of their conversation. When she saw them staring at her with droll expressions, she let out a small, "Oh!" of surprise and wiggled her small fingers frantically at them.

"No, don't look at me… I'm a mess… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to… eavesdrop… I just… happened to hear… And now, I… can't stop…" She sniffled, clearly trying to gain control of herself, but then dissolved into a puddle of tears. Again.

Andrew sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Seriously… You're hopeless, woman." But he waved her over, and when she stumbled to him, he wrapped one long arm around her shoulders and brought her head underneath his chin. "Geez… Too many emotional women around me lately."

Sadie straightened scowled at that, propping her hands on her hips. "Oh, I'm so sorry my presence is such a bother for you. Maybe I should just leave now and leave you to deal with the bake, the stock, the customers, _and_ the – _oof_!"

She broke off her tirade when he extended another long arm and dragged her into his embrace. She wriggled, grumbling at him, but he just chuckled at her attempts – meanwhile her mother was blatantly clutching his shirt and sobbing uncontrollably. She raised a critical brow at that.

 _Man, and he thought I was bad…_

But he was smiling down at them both, and Sadie felt her chest begin to lighten when she saw that his brown eyes were once again warm with their usual cheer. Tension leaked from her body, and she had to stop the sigh of relief that built. _Crisis averted…_

 _~'Wow, that's awesome! You have the power to both give and take your father's happiness.'~_

She tensed at the words, scowling at her father's shoes. _You know, I liked you a lot better when you were silent._

A small chuckle was her only reply.

"Oh, S-Sae-chan! I completely forgot!" Kimiko stepped away from them and swiped her tears. "Murasakibara-kun should be here any minute. Did you want me to prepare a snack for him?"

"Hmmm…" Her father stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That's right. He'll need a regular supply of food; Sadie-girl's food, of course. That was our bargain." He grinned ruefully at his daughter, who was still unimpressed with the way things had played out.

 _It's all right, just let him learn the consequences of his decision on his own… He'll see._

Sadie smiled, nodding once to her mother. "You're right, I'll start making him something now."

"Would it be easier to give him something out of the take-away cabinet?"

She bristled at the words. "No! That's… not a good idea. I was going to make him something a little more substantial anyway. He just lives on snacks all the time."

Her mother frowned in puzzlement. "If that's what you think is best…"

"Oh trust me, he'll love it." _He'd better love it._ "I'll start on that now, then."

Her father made his way to the entrance, pushing Kimiko to do the same. "I'll be back for the dinner rush, Sadie-girl. Murasakibara is just going to be sticking to dishes, floors and bins for today. He should be gone by seven p.m. Don't let him touch any of the dangerous stuff; I don't want to have to pay anymore bills…"

"Hai," she replied absently, flicking her fingers at him. "Go, go, I'll be fine." He chuckled fondly at her and left with Kimiko. Sadie sighed and started on Mura-kun's favourite snack of hers – spring rolls.

A few short minutes later she heard footsteps approach; the door swung wide to reveal the over-sized body of Murasakibara. Behind him stood her mother, who was looking at him with something close to awe – which quickly changed to bewilderment when his head met the doorframe with a hard _thunk!_

 _Just like lunch times at school._ Abruptly she was seized by the nagging feeling of nostalgia. Perhaps she… did miss school with her friends. A little. Mura-kun was as predictable as ever, only this time, there was no Himuro-san to help –

"You have to lower your head a little, Atsushi."

The purple-haired giant grunted, and bent his neck over to finally enter the room. It was then Sadie saw the one figure she hadn't expected to show up here, of all places.

Himuro-san grinned a little, and sent her a small salute of greeting. "Long time no see, Sadie-san. How have you been?"

Sadie stared at him a little longer – still dumbfounded – and replied without thinking. "It's… only been a few days, Himuro-san."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," he conceded sheepishly. "Have you been working hard?"

"Yeah…" _Snap out of it, baka!_ "I mean, yes. I've been working hard. Here." She swallowed once, glancing awkwardly up at Murasakibara – whose eyes were all over the shop. _Like a kid in a candy store…_

He chuckled in response. "Well, that's good, I suppose. But I thought that since you and… you know… Momoi-san, aren't talking at the moment, you haven't been receiving any homework. And since Atsushi doesn't concentrate in class enough to take notes, I thought it best to bring you the notes myself."

Sadie blinked, surprised at his kindness. "Wow. Thanks, Himuro-san. That's really… thoughtful." She glanced up at the elephant in the room, then back at Himuro. "But… wouldn't it have been easier to just give the homework to Mura-kun to give to me?"

The person in question was presently rubbing the inside of his ear with his pinkie finger – _going to have to make him wash his hands thoroughly_ – and he supplied in that monotone voice of his, "That's what I said. But Muro-chin wanted to give you the homework in person as an excuse to talk to you about that tiny-crazy-girl."

"Atsushi," he chided softly, but in resignation. Evidently he was more than used to his friend's overly-blunt attitude. "Her name's Momoi-san. And he's right," he admitted as he turned to look her in the eye again. "I have also come to speak to you about Momoi. She's… been under a lot of stress lately."

Sadie crossed her arms at that. "Oh, really?"

"Yes."

"I don't see how that's my problem." She kept her tone low and devoid of emotion, as though she wasn't the least affected by his words.

He took a step toward her. "Sadie-san –"

"Hey, Sae-chin. Can I have some food before I start work?" Mura-kun's eyes were pleading.

She nodded an affirmative. "I was just making you some spring rolls."

"Yes!" he burst out with such energy that even Himuro was momentarily surprised. He gazed at the roof dreamily and began muttering things under his breath. "Hmmm, Sae-chan's spring rolls… So good… Been _so_ long… All _mine_ …"

Sadie couldn't stop the blush that coloured her cheeks from his strange words. Beside her, Himuro-san was studying his friend with a quizzical expression; evidently he had never seen Yosen's basketball ace behave in such a way. "So this is what happens when he goes without Sae-chan's cooking for a while… Kind of like an addict who hasn't had his fix."

More blushing. _Geez, does he have to use such an over-dramatic analogy?_

Clearing her throat, Sadie forced herself to get a grip and used the knife she was holding to point at the overflowing bins by the back door. "Mura-kun, empty those for me, please. You'll find new bin-liners to replace them underneath the sink to my right."

He pouted at her, clearly sizing her up; deliberately, she ceased her chopping and faced him with hands on her hips and a raised brow that said, _'Hop to it, boy.'_ He shrugged uncaringly and made his way over to the bins.

Satisfied, she resumed her chopping. "Now, what were you saying, Himuro-san?" When there was no answer, she shot him a puzzled look, only to be met with a strange expression. "What is it?"

"Oh…" He snapped out of his haze. "It's nothing… just… I've never seen him so… obedient."

"Huh? Obedient?" Sadie analysed her new employee critically, noting that he'd clearly never learned to change a bin in his life, and turned back to Himuro with a frown. "He looks the same as ever to me. He's working here now, so he has to do his duties."

"Yes, but it's different…" He shrugged. "Well, never mind. As I was saying, I think it might be a good idea to check up on her soon. Just to… clarify things."

Sadie studied him with a wary countenance. "Did she say anything to you about it?"

"No. In fact, she's been outwardly behaving like nothing is wrong. But I can see it; she doesn't smile."

She snorted a little at that. "Momoi doesn't smile much as a rule, so I doubt anything's changed there."

"You're wrong."

Quickly growing tired of this conversation, she placed her knife on the counter-top and faced him fully. "How is that, Himuro-san?"

"She used to smile. A lot." His eyes were firm and filled with disapproval as they met hers.

Sadie bristled at the look, and her tone became unintentionally sharp. "Well, as Momoi-chan's _best_ _friend_ , I can confidently count on one hand the number of times I ever received a smile from her. Not that I care about something like that, anyway."

"I know that something like that wouldn't bother you," he agreed in an even tone. "But I still say you're wrong. She _did_ smile at you a lot; when you weren't looking."

Suddenly taken aback by the odd revelation, she was left momentarily speechless; Himuro sighed and placed his notes on the countertop. "I just think it is within your best interests to talk to her, perhaps tell her how you feel. And ask her to do the same. You owe it to each other as friends to do this."

She considered him for a moment, taking in his earnest expression, and then nodded once, reluctantly. "I'll message her when I can and see if she wants to meet up."

"I'm sure she would appreciate it," he agreed with a nod. "Anyway, I'll keep bringing you homework notes; I don't really trust Atsushi to do it for me."

The boy in question stiffened at the words. "Hey, Muro-chin, go away. You keep distracting Sae-chin; can't you see she's trying to make my food?"

Sadie's brow twitched. "Why don't you worry about yourself, Mura-kun? Those bins still look full."

He pouted at her jibe, but replied with a drawn-out, "Hai…"

Beside her, Himuro-san chuckled fondly. "Ah, this is going to be interesting. I think I'll end up coming here for the entertainment value."

Something occurred to her then – her shop wasn't exactly close to Yosen High. Coming here for work was one thing, but to make the journey for such a selfless motive… "Hey, Himuro-san… I'll make you a snack before you leave, alright? Would you care for some spring rolls."

From across the room, a loud sound of protest left her new employee; she shot him a reproachful look and it quickly died off. But Himuro shook his head at the offer with something akin to trepidation on his face. "Uh, no thanks, Sadie-san… I don't think that would be… wise…"

For a moment, she was a little wounded by his words, but then realised something. _Has Himuro-san ever actually tasted my food…?_ She couldn't recall an instance. Baffled, she asked, "Why not?"

"Uh… well, you see, it's like this…" He scratched the back of his neck uneasily and then rushed out, "It's just that everybody who tastes your food becomes addicted to it, and I don't really want to be caught under anyone's spell for the time being, you understand? I've got school and basketball and the book club and chores at home – I don't have time to worry about another person amidst all that…"

Sadie stared at him unblinkingly after his confession, and then threw back her head in laughter. "Himuro-san… Eating my food won't be like starting up a – a _relationship_ with me… Ha ha!"

"I-I know that," he stuttered crossly, frowning at her. "That's not what I meant. Don't laugh!"

"Ha ha… I'm sorry… You're just unexpectedly bashful, is all." She couldn't stop giggling at the sight of his red face. "It's kind of like you were turning down my love confession…"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Mura-kun was suddenly there, looming over her shoulder to glare at his friend. "A love confession? What are you still doing here, Himuro-san? I thought I told you to leave." His surprisingly fierce tone brooked no argument.

Himuro crossed his arms and reiterated, "It's not _like_ that."

But Murasakibara continued like he hadn't even heard him. He plonked a large hand on Sadie's head and decreed in a low tone, "I won't let you have her all to yourself."

 _Oh, my God…_

 _What is this…? What is this? What is this?! Whatisthiswhatisthiswhatisthis –!_

The door to the kitchen swung wide, and Link stood framed there. "Hey, Sae-chan, can you make some spring rolls for me, I'm starving–" He broke off when he realised they weren't alone, and his eyes rapidly turned hard as he took in the scene; Himuro's tense stance, Mura-kun looming over his little sister from behind with an overly-large hand atop her head, and her quivering, blushing form.

"Just what," he said in a dangerous tone, "Is going on in here?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Good? Like where this is going? Please leave me a review!

Thank you 'Tara' for leaving such awesome input in the reviews. I love to see how people think after they read about my characters. I'm glad you enlightened me on your perspective.

This fanfic is still a work in progress; I am working closely together with my beta to hash out both the technical flaws, as well as plot/character flaws and ideas. So far things are going very well, however the plot is still not completely set in stone. Things will change depending on my character-to-character interactions.

Do you have an idea as to how things are going to progress? Let me know. Feedback is good motivation.

Until next time!

\- MP


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**

"Just _what_ is going on in here?"

Sadie, still caught up in the strange mind-buzz Murasakibara's bizarre declaration had brought about, quickly snapped out of her haze to diffuse the building tension. "Uh… Nothing, nii-san. We were just – goofing around."

Link scowled at her like she'd sprouted cat-ears. "'Nii-san'…?" His sharp hazel eyes narrowed even more. "Is that right? And who are these guys?"

Very subtly removing her head from underneath Murasakibara's gigantic hand, she gestured to both him and Himuro. "This is Himuro-san, a classmate of mine who has kindly offered to bring me the homework I've been missing at school. This is my brother, Link."

Himuro nodded in greeting at her older brother. "Nice to meet you. I didn't want Sadie-san falling behind on any important schoolwork – after all, final exams are coming up very soon. I've offered to bring her my notes and keep her up to date on any work she misses out on."

Link blatantly looked the boy up and down, earning him a stern glare from his younger sibling, before releasing an unimpressed _humph._ "Awful nice of you. But I'm afraid Sae-chan won't be needing your helpful notes; she's not sure when she will be attending high school again, if ever."

Sadie didn't even get a chance to retort; above her, Murasakibara's posture hardened at the words, and he let out a small rumble that made her spine straighten alertly. _Oh, no… I so don't need this right now._ _Mura-kun, please don't say –_

Too late, Link's eyes caught the movement – the overly-large boy was standing much too close to his little sister for his own good. "Do I know you?"

When there was no response, Sadie hurriedly supplied, "This is Murasakibara. You met him yesterday in the shop, remember? He's working here, starting today…"

The two males stared each other down from opposite sides of the room – Link with a less-than-impressed scowl on his face, and Mura-kun with a firm yet 'you're-an-insect-under-my-shoe' expression that was slowly but surely having a negative effect on Link. As they stared, conversations from the customers in the seating area could be heard, adding to the awkward atmosphere surrounding the four. Himuro looked plain uncomfortable; even Sadie was beginning to sweat from the tension…

Link's wrinkled brow twitched once. "You got a problem?"

"Huh?" came the purple-haired giant's reply.

"You're a bit slow. I said, do you got a problem?"

Now it was Mura-kun's turn to be annoyed. "No. You're the one being annoying…"

At this, her brother's chest swelled with unsuppressed anger. "What are you going on about, _baka_? Show some respect for older people! Just because you work here, doesn't mean you get to say whatever you want all of a sudden! Get on your knees and apologise, or I swear I won't forgive you –!"

"That's enough, Link!" Sadie cut in, but it was too late. Murasakibara, who had been clasping his ears tightly the whole time, finally snapped.

"Ahh, shut up! It's annoying! Go away before I crush you!" His hands made huge fists at his side.

Link pointed a threatening finger at the Yosen basketball ace. "Watch your mouth. If you're not careful, I'll teach you the true meaning of respect myself –"

Sadie had had enough. "Link, would you _shut the hell up?_ "

Her brother finally stopped speaking, but he didn't take his eyes off the boy across the room. While Sadie frantically tried to think up something to say to diffuse the situation, Himuro made to move towards Mura-kun, like he was about to take him and leave. But that didn't sit right with Sadie. _Taking my new employee away on the first day? Don't mess with me._

 _~'Aw, are we defending our new employee now? Cuuute! And here I was convinced you were going to try and get him fired. Oh well, I like this idea better.'~_

 _You shut up, too._

She picked up the knife on the counter and pointed it menacingly at her brother. "Link, outside. Now. We've got some things to talk about." Link glared at her like he might argue, but quickly thought better of it when he saw the crazy-little-sister twist to her brow. While he grumbled his way out the door, she heard a derisive snicker emerge from her new employee – so she fixed her knife on him next. "You." She pointed to the dishes. "Start washing. When I get back in here there had better be a clean benchtop where those dirty plates are now."

She made to follow her brother, but stopped short when Himuro grabbed her arm. "What is it, Himuro-san?"

"I just want to give you some advice," he explained as his friend grumbled his way toward the dishes. "Atsushi doesn't… respond well to force. Trust me, I know this very well. If he feels there's nothing in it for him, no matter the circumstance, he won't do it. While your food is obviously very tempting for him, I would advise you not to overstep his boundaries; rather, entice him carefully." She mulled his words over for a moment, and then nodded at him in understanding. "I'm glad you get it. I'll leave now, I think." He chuckled once. "Don't work him too hard."

Sadie snorted at that. "Ha! This job is no joke. If he thinks hospitality is anything like school, he's got a nasty surprise coming."

She waved goodbye to Himuro as he exited through the front door. Before hastening to the exit leading to a back alley where her brother was waiting, she quickly put together the spring rolls and threw them in the oven on high. When she finally emerged, Sadie found him leaning up against the opposite wall with a deceptively casual stance. She sighed. _I'm about to cop it big time…_

" _So."_

She crossed her arms and repeated, _"So."_

" _You gonna explain to me what happened in there?"_

" _I think you're the one who owes_ me _an explanation,"_ she retorted shortly. She was fast becoming sick of his childish attitude. _"Mura-kun is my friend; plus, Dad hired him, so there's no use trying to pick a fight with him. It'll just reflect badly on you."_

He studied her for a moment, noting her implacable stance. _"That's why you're defending him? Because he's your_ friend _?"_ When she nodded stiffly, his eyes left hers to settle on the ground by her feet. _"I'm your brother. Doesn't that make me worth defending, too?"_

Silence ensued. Under any normal circumstance, Sadie would have responded to her brother's vulnerable question with guilt and reassurances. But instead of these things, all she felt was a fury that was rapidly rising to cloud her senses. For the first time, she knew what it was like to see red.

How dare _he_ , of all people, say such a thing to _her_.

Sadie tried clenching her fists to still the burning rage, but some of it leaked out anyway. _"Are you serious? After everything you've done? After what you – you_ put _me through? I'm in hell right now because of you! I've had my freedom taken from me, my private life is no longer private, and my own family won't look me in the eye most of the time."_ He tried to interrupt, but by this point Sadie was more than done; she opened one trembling fist to point her finger accusingly at his chest. _"This is_ your _fault! Don't come crying to me with that I'm-your-family bullshit! It's not gonna work this time."_ Thoroughly caught up in the moment, she squeezed her eyes shut against the sudden tears that threatened to leak out and shrieked, _"I was your family, too! You… were supposed to… protect me._ Help _me. Like I have_ always _done with you! The cars, the money, the secret meetings with suspicious people – I kept all your secrets for you! How could you do this…!"_

" _Sadie!"_ Link exclaimed in alarm, but she was past caring – because suddenly she was finding it very difficult to breathe. _What the…?_ Very carefully, she felt behind her for some sort of ledge, a wall – anything. But there was nothing; her body met the ground before she could even fathom that she'd started to fall. While she sprawled sideways on the concrete, Link raced to her side with a panicked look on his face. In her slow-minded state, she dimly noted that she'd seen that exact face somewhere before… But where…?

Oh, right. The night a fire had claimed the lives of both their mother and Lily, their dog.

Link had been making the exact same face the time he rushed out of their old burning house, carrying her in his arms. Hazel eyes filled with helpless fright. Arms locked tight around her with a grip that left bruises for a week afterward. The only thing different was the mouth; it had been gaping wide in a soundless scream that night.

She knew this, because she hadn't once looked away from her saviours features until the ambulance arrived.

While Link sat there shaking her and bellowing something incoherently, the back door flew open and a huge figure emerged. Murasakibara took one look at her slumped form and reached down to grip her brother's collar; with a grunt, he hoisted him away from her body and took his place. His movements surprisingly swift, Mura-kun pressed his fingers to her wrist to check her pulse. Her brother looked like he wanted to interfere, but upon realisation of what the purple-haired boy was trying to accomplish, stood back and watched helplessly from behind.

He sat still for a few seconds, counting the rate of her pulse, and then reached forward to place his large hand over her forehead. _What is it with you and heads?_ Sadie thought to herself in amusement. He frowned at something before reaching to envelop her hand in his.

 _That_ managed to pierce through her grogginess.

She blushed furiously as he felt each of her fingers individually between his, frowning again when he saw her reddened features. He felt her forehead one more time.

Link finally snapped. _"What's going on?"_

Murasakibara glanced at him over his shoulder with a bored expression – which Sadie was beginning to think was his go-to response to people in general. "Would you mind speaking more clearly and in a language I can understand? _Baka_."

Link didn't even react to the taunt. "Is she going to be alright?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I think so."

"You _think_ so?" her brother repeated incredulously, eyes wide. "How can you not know? After all that – that touching stuff you did!"

"I was just checking her body for clues," he explained slowly, as though conversing with a child.

"And what _clues_ did you pick up?" Link growled through gritted teeth.

"I dunno… I guess she isn't feeling too good."

"WHAT –!"

"Link," Sadie spoke up suddenly. "Calm down. I'm fine now."

"Oh, look," Murasakibara observed in that monotone voice. "She's alright. Guess I was wrong."

"I'm gonna kill you, bastard –"

"Link, please! Enough…" Sadie groaned and clutched her forehead.

Immediately her brother ceased speaking, instead leaning close to peer at her face. "Geez, you're really pale. Maybe I should get Dad –"

" _No!"_ she practically shouted. Gripping his forearm, she gave him a hard stare and said, _"I swear I'll never forgive you if you tell him."_

He quailed beneath that fierce glare. "Alright… I won't… say anything."

"Good." Sadie took a few deep breaths before getting her legs under her to stand; Link made to help her, but Mura-kun got there first. She nodded appreciatively at him before turning to her brother again. "It's okay. I'm sorry I freaked you out; I didn't get much sleep last night and haven't stopped working since this morning. I guess my body just can't keep up sometimes." When he still looked concerned, she sighed and took his hand. "I'm fine, okay? I promise. Please stop worrying."

"But… Sadie, you're not well. It doesn't take a genius –" he glanced up at Mura-kun once "– or an air-head giant to see that. You don't need to keep pretending to be okay."

"I'm not pretending," she said in a low tone. "I've got work to do, Link, so could you please just let me get back to it?"

Without waiting for a response, she turned and went back into the shop, Murasakibara close behind. Instead of following, Link cursed to himself and stalked away down the alley without a backward glance. Sadie felt her heart growing heavier with every step he took.

 _~'Very nicely handled. Perhaps a little on the dramatic side, but an all-round applause-worthy performance on your part. Bravo.'~_

"Would you _shut up_!"

Kimiko, who chose that exact moment to walk through the door, blinked in shock at her daughter's outburst. "Sadie-chan! I understand Murasakibara might be a little slow, but it is his first day in training! Try and have a little patience with him, please!"

 _... I don't even know what to say to that._

Sadie exhaled tiredly as Murasakibara's low grumbling echoed from behind her. _Can't this day just end already?_ "Sorry. I'll try and be more patient."

Her mother appeared satisfied. "Good. Now, can you please make a start on these orders? They're piling up quickly!"

"Hai…"

Kimiko left her to it, and in the silence, she turned to face Mura-kun. "Hey, I'm… sorry about what I said. I didn't mean it about you, I just thought I heard –" She broke off as she realised that he was looking at something across the room, and therefore wasn't processing a word she was saying. "Mura-kun, are you even listening to me?"

"Hey, Sae-chan. Are the spring rolls supposed to do that?"

Sadie followed his eyes – and almost shouted at what she found. Smoke was rising from the oven seams, painting the walls behind a charcoal colour. She immediately snapped into action. "Mura-kun, open the back door and turn on the overhead vents! Quickly, quickly!"

While he rushed to obey her orders, she raced to the oven and gripped the handle to yank it open. "Ouch!" She hissed and recoiled from the burning-hot surface, but refused to dwell on the pain; instead she turned the temperature dial to zero and flicked the off switch. _That should reduce the burning._ Next she donned a pair of thick mittens and tried the door again; it swung wide and emitted a cloud of more thick smoke. She coughed over and over, and had to back up before she could breathe again.

"Did you… Did you turn on the vents?" she choked out.

"Yep. Did you save the spring rolls?"

"N-Nope."

He threw back his head and groaned. "Argh, I'm _hungry_!"

"I know, I know. Just hold on a little longer, Mura-kun."

She waited until most of the smoke had cleared before reaching in to grab the tray; what emerged was something so ghastly it made her nose scrunch. The 'food' had greatly surpassed anything remotely related to the word. _Man, what a waste…_ Sadie turned to place them on the counter, but was met with Murasakibara's sulking form. He was staring at his former snack in dismay.

She offered up the tray to him. "Did someone order a double-platter of extra-crispy spring rolls?"

"No," he groused.

She giggled at his petulant expression. "I'm really sorry, Mura-kun. I'll fix it up right away."

He grunted once and scrubbed the back of his head. "But you can't, right? You have orders to make. Forget about it…" But the purple-haired giant looked less than pleased with the prospect.

Guilt ate at her; while there was another alternative, she hadn't wanted to let him take it. But the way this afternoon was going, he'd be lucky to get his food within a half hour… She sighed and gave in. _Desperate times, I suppose…_

"Here." Snagging a plate from the pile, she pointed in the direction of her prized take-away cabinet. "Go pick whatever you want from the cabinet; take it as a personal apology for keeping you waiting."

Despite her words, he still seemed unimpressed. "I don't want _packaged_ food… I want Sae-chan's cooking…"

Blood suffused Sadie's cheeks for the millionth time that day. Clearing her throat once – twice – she carefully explained, "Mura-kun, I made everything in that cabinet from scratch, so it's okay –"

Before she'd even finished her sentence, Murasakibara snatched the plate from her fingers and was out the door faster than she could've imagined. She blinked at the sudden vacuum of air occupying his space. _Wow, he can really move those legs, huh?_ But then Sadie got with the program. _Right. Stuff to do!_

Sadie threw out the monstrosity that had been her attempt at a snack before finding a cool cloth to wrap around her stinging palm. She cleared her benchtop in preparation for the upcoming orders, fired up four of the stove-tops and switched on the second oven – she didn't want to put the first one under any more stress…

While she bustled around the kitchen collecting ingredients, the door to the kitchen opened and then closed, and she could make out the large shape of Murasakibara in her periphery. He was humming something – which reminded her that she was missing a very important ingredient in her cooking.

Music!

"Geez…" she muttered to herself and she hurried over to the speakers, quickly selecting a separate playlist – something more upbeat this time, to match the speed of her movements, but still mentally stimulating… _Ah, yes of course. Animenz will do nicely._ He was one of her favourite pianists, and his natural talent was always inspiring.

Music sorted, she returned to the stove, where she quickly placed three chops of marinated pork on a sizzling pan to sauté. After that, it was quick work with the vegetables, chopping them into pieces before adding them to a separate fry pan. The noodles she had prepared earlier were almost ready; Sadie surveyed her work with satisfaction before moving on to the next set of dishes. She sighed when she saw the orders. _Man, that new Katsudon dish is seriously popular._ Her father had reinvented this traditional Japanese cuisine by first sizzling the pork with a variety of imported spices, before wrapping them in a western-style puff pastry to be deep fried. It was then topped with thin noodles and drizzled in the customer's choice of curry, soy or Worcestershire sauce, overtop a bowl of cooked rice.

Across the room, Murasakibara let out a small moan of appreciation, causing Sadie's lips to curl upwards a little. "Is it all right, Mura-kun?"

"Hmm," was his muffled reply.

She giggled and glanced up. "Well, I'm glad to hear – _What's with that massive plate?!"_

The purple-haired giant frowned at her outburst, mumbling an indignant "What?" around a mouth filled to the brim with food.

Sadie gaped at the amount of food in front of him. "What in God's name – who said you could just – Mura-kun, that's _way_ too much food!"

His frown intensified. "You said I could pick _whatever I wanted_."

"Yeah, but I didn't mean the whole damn _cabinet_! Seriously, what is wrong with you? How can you possibly eat that much?!"

He harrumphed at her and returned to his plate – feeding trough? – without answering, chewing merrily. From her take-away cabinet, Murasakibara had chosen to eat a full slice of sugar-coated chocolate brownie, four varying savoury pastries, a cinnamon scroll, a red bean paste-filled fish cake, and three sweet-bean paste-filled sweet breads. She watched in dazed horror as he chowed down on her meticulous creations like they were no more than potato chips.

Her hands curled into tight fists of fury. "Don't you think you're going a bit overboard?"

"Why would you say that?" he mumbled with a bored expression, still munching away.

"You've barely done any hard work at all!" Sadie pointed a finger at him warningly. "You'd better get your butt moving when you've finished eating all that, alright?"

"Hai, hai…" He went back to munching, effectively dismissing her presence.

Just as she returned grousing to her work, Kimiko wandered in with a broad smile. "Sadie-chan, I'm glad to see you're back on top of things. We just had three customers compliment your food, one after the other! Your father said to keep up the good work. He also wanted me to check and see how Murasakibara-kun is doing…" She paused as her eyes wandered to his hunching form, taking in the size of his 'afternoon snack' and the swiftness with which he was eating it. "Um, Mura-kun…"

He didn't reply; she said his name again and his head jerked up. "Hmm? What is it?"

Kimiko looked distinctly uncomfortable. "What's… all that you have there?"

"Hmm? This?" He glanced down at the food in puzzlement, like he couldn't figure out what that had to do with anything. His face was totally clueless when he looked up again. Kimiko clearly had no idea where to begin.

Sadie sighed in resignation. "He was hungry."

Kimiko blinked between them both. "Is… Is that so? But still, are you really going to eat all of that, Mura-kun?"

When her mother's question was again met with a brick wall of obliviousness, Sadie amended, "He was _really_ hungry."

"… Okay. Just so long as you do your duties before you leave, Mura-kun…"

She smiled reassuringly at her mother. "It's alright. I won't let him slack off."

Kimiko nodded, satisfied, and then retreated into the shop. Silence reigned while Mura-kun ate his way through the meal, the rhythmic sound of Sadie's chopping keeping in time with the piano composition filling the space. She felt herself slowly coming down from the events of the afternoon; even after her little panic attack in the alley, she still felt shaky and uncoordinated. But her limbs were beginning to calm again as she fell into a habitual pace.

Reflecting on her sudden panic attack made her realise something. "Hey, Mura-kun. How did you know… to do that stuff in the alley before?"

He looked her in the eyes. "I didn't know."

Even she found that hard to believe. "Oh, come on. You really helped me; you had to know a little about what you were doing…"

"Your hands were cold. So I warmed them." He shrugged. "And your eyes were all sluggish, so I got that floundering idiot out of the way 'cause he was just making you more confused by yelling at you…"

Sadie gaped at him in disbelief. "S-Seriously? But… You did it all so fast! It's like you had training in this sort of thing."

He shrugged again and returned to his food. "I have good reflexes."

"I'll say," she agreed. This seemingly ignorant giant had alleviated her panic attack in less than a minute.

"Hey, Sae-chan."

She glanced up in surprise and replied automatically, "Yes?"

Mura-kun was studying the plate in front of him with a sullen expression. "What's that kid's problem, anyway?"

"That kid…? Oh, you mean my brother?" He nodded once. "Uh… What exactly do you mean?"

"Is he always such an ass?" he asked without preamble.

She paused her chopping to answer carefully. "Not really. He's just like that, you know? He likes to… _challenge_ people as soon as he meets them. He's usually a little more subtle than that, though…" Sadie paused, carefully considering how to phrase the next part. "He just gets a little possessive of me sometimes; I think he freaked out when he saw you guys standing over me before."

He mulled over her words for a moment, and then an abrupt twitch started up in his brow. "Ah, that's why he annoyed me so much… He reminds me of _that_ guy…"

Sadie gazed at him curiously. "What guy?"

Another brow twitch. "Bushy-Brows…"

"… My brother reminds you of Guy-Sensei?"

His purple head shook impatiently. "Not that Bushy-Brows…"

Now Sadie was just confused. "Okay…" _Does link have bushy brows?_ Sure, they were dark, but they weren't overly hairy…

Somehow, thinking of him made her feel simultaneously angry and guilty. As much as she should have kept her opinions to herself earlier, Sadie had felt so good finally to let some of her inner fury out on him – fury at the situation _he_ had caused. And while it was easy for him to just leave the house at any time of the day, she was stuck here with no freedom at all…

 _I wonder if he's with that girl…_

"Mura-kun."

"Yeah?"

"I need you to do something for me."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hello readers! Hope you're liking my story so far.

For all those who have reviewed, I extend my utmost gratitude. Your regular feedback is what keeps me going. Without the support of your encouraging words, I doubt I would have the motivation to continue writing this fanfic every day!

 _~'Pfft, that's a lie. You have voices in your head, too. And without an outlet, things get really… Messy.'~_

… Touché.

But enough of that; back to the story. In this chapter, things have started to heat up… (pun intended). I'm talkin' 'bout that character-building and plot-widening, yo. Mura-kun is officially _permanently_ in the picture – much to Link's dismay. Along with her hovering family/friends, Sadie now has to deal with a 'very hungry caterpillar'!

And had anybody noticed how strangely absent Momoi-chan has been recently? I mean, Sadie has seen all her friends except one. Is it just stubborn pride in the way…?

Aside from this, the biggest question on my mind… 'What is dearest older brother hiding?'


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